Boarding denied to disabled person in Bergamo, ENAC issues ordinance

 He was unable to take his flight from Orio al Serio (Bergamo) to Bordeaux because the battery of his electric wheelchair "which has the permitted voltage, cannot be taken in flight, because it has a sticker with the words e-bike": this is what disabled Valeria Roberta Vetrano wrote on her Instagram page attacking Ryanair which rejected her at check-in last Monday.

    "I am told that the battery is not original - he writes - they claim that I would have assembled the vehicle (huh?!?). At this point I present the manufacturer's certification. Nothing to do. They tell me to leave the motorized part on the ground (called Stricker), if I want to leave (note to the reader: these vehicles don't work like manual wheelchairs if the front part is detached), in short, Ryanair has the solution for everything: leave the wheelchair, go on foot! What a good idea!!! Because I didn't think of that before?!?"

Mrs. Vetrano also denounced that "the disabled assistance disappears after ten minutes and leaves me hanging" and adds that "what has always been a good routine, travelling, seeing my friends, has become an inaccessible undertaking for me ( thank you Ryanair)".

    "Unfortunately, we still have to register a case of denied boarding to a passenger with reduced mobility - commented the President of Enac Pierluigi Di Palma - As soon as we heard about it, we immediately intervened, urging the airport directors to ensure full protection with their ordinance of passenger rights".

    "As regards the specific case of Valeria Roberta Vetrano - concludes Di Palma - investigations are underway to verify the possible liability of the carrier".