An airline in China banned a woman with no legs in a wheelchair from boarding a flight, even though she notified them that she would need a wheelchair 48 hours in advance.
The woman, surnamed Zhang, from Hubei province in central China, was angry and confused when ground staff from China Southern Airlines stopped her from boarding.
The staff told Zhang she needed a travel companion because they could not provide a wheelchair service for her.
Zhang produced paperwork clearly showing she had complied with the airline’s policy and showed proof that she frequently travelled alone.
However, the airline said she still needed to travel with a companion.
Before boarding, Zhang had called the airline and received approval that she could board the flight without a companion.
Despite trying hard to explain that she had received permission to fly with the wheelchair, she could not convince the staff, who even gave her an official certificate of “refusal of carriage” at the counter.
“Not only do they not have service for people in wheelchairs, but they refused to let me board,” said Zhang.
“What makes China Southern Airlines think that disabled people in wheelchairs cannot live and travel alone?”
The shunned flier pointed out that another passenger had had the same experience, and neither understood why China Southern Airlines had launched a policy inconsistent with domestic standards.
When asked about the details of the policy, a customer service agent replied that passengers in wheelchairs who have a travel companion could apply for the wheelchair service in the passenger cabin 48 hours in advance.
The incident triggered widespread criticism of the airline on mainland social media.
“Is China Southern Airlines discriminating against disabled people?” One person asked.
Another said: “China Southern Airlines needs to provide a reasonable explanation.”
The story reminded many people of an incident in March 2023 when a blind woman and her guide dog in Beijing were refused entry to a park by a security guard who accused her of pretending to be disabled.
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