Ryanair refuse to allow Irish Liverpool fan to bring power wheelchair on flight
A mother has slammed Ryanair for taking away her son's 'independence' and making him feel like an inconvenience' after he was told he couldn't bring his power wheelchair on a flight.
Daire Gorman is a 13-year-old from Monaghan who has no arms or legs. He was born with a rare condition called Crommelin syndrome, a condition which impacts the development of limbs.
Young Daire is a diehard Liverpool fan and went viral last year in a heart-warming video that saw him meet the entire Liverpool squad and then manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Monaghan native was set to travel to Liverpool to see his beloved reds lift the Premier League trophy at Anfield last weekend, but just a few days before the trip, Daire's mother, Shelley, was asked by Ryanair whether the power wheelchair was able to be folded, before informing her that Daire's wheelchair exceeded the airline's maximum dimensions.
In an interview with the Irish Times, Shelley speaks of the ordeal. After being asked whether the Wheelchair could be folded, Shelley "replied saying it was a power wheelchair and couldn't fold down."
When informed that the chair would be too big, Shelley rang special assistance customer service: 'I ended up ringing special assistance customer services and they asked could he not go without the chair, and refused to take his chair.'
'As a parent, you try and do your best for your children and especially children with additional needs and protect them from negativity – my child needs his wheelchair, imagine asking can he not go without it.'
She claims that Ryanair initially refused to offer a refund before relenting. It wasn't needed in the end as the family were able to source a manual wheelchair which was used on the day.
But this, according to Shelley, led to more difficulties. She said Daire needed to use an "aisle chair" to transfer onto the plane seat. She also claims that Daire entered the plane last, when the aircraft was full, resulting in him being pushed the entire length of the plane, 'knocking off people' and 'losing his dignity (with) everyone watching him transfer on to the seat'.
She said that the airline 'completely took Daire's independence away and made him feel like an inconvenience',
In response to Shelley's complaints, Ryanair issued a statement to the Irish Times. In the statement, they say 'regrettably, these emotive claims made by his mother are false. She fails anywhere in her complaint to accept that this wheelchair exceeded our well-publicised max dimensions.'
A Ryanair spokesperson said the max dimensions information was 'readily available to Ms Gorman when this booking was made and if she had simply complied with them then that would have been the end of the matter'.
The airline also denies asking Daire's mother whether he could travel without a wheelchair and confirms that they did offer a refund.
Furthermore, the spokesperson explained that wheelchair boardings are handled by the Dublin Airport Authority and not by individual airlines.
The statement states that Shelley's 'claim that 'Ryanair completely took Daire's independence away' is false and absurd'.
Ryanair did not respond to the Irish Times' follow up queries relating to Daire's positioning at the back of the plane.
On Friday, Shelley appeared on Northern Sound radio to speak more on the issue: "He was devastated. It's hard enough for someone in a wheelchair, especially a child with additional needs. They find it hard sometimes to fit in.
"So yeah, he was very upset. And he thought then 'oh this is my fault. If I wasn't in a chair this wouldn't be happening.'
"So he was very upset."
Ryanair have been contacted by the Irish Mirror for comment on the matter.
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