Boy 'lost dignity' on Ryanair flight to Liverpool, says mum

Wales Online

4 days ago

Boy 'lost dignity' on Ryanair flight to Liverpool, says mum
Daire Gorman, 13, was born with a rare condition called Crommelin syndrome, which impacts the development of limbs, and was told he could not bring his power wheelchair on a flight with Ryanair
Daire Gorman has a rare condition called Crommelin syndrome
(Image: Shelley Gorman / SWNS )
A mum has accused Ryanair of making her son "feel like an inconvenience" after they informed her that her son's power wheelchair could not be accommodated on a flight to Liverpool, where he was excited to witness the Premier League title celebration at Anfield.
Daire Gorman, 13, who was born with Crommelin syndrome, a rare condition affecting limb development and has no arms and no femur bones in his legs, is an ardent Liverpool supporter and had previously met the full team and then-manager Jurgen Klopp.
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The teenager from Co Monaghan was looking forward to travelling from Dublin to Liverpool to see his favourite team, Liverpool, lift the Premier League trophy.
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But just days before their planned journey, Daire's mother, Shelley, was questioned by Ryanair about whether the power wheelchair could be folded, only to be told later that it exceeded the airline's size limits.
Shelley explained that after being asked if the wheelchair could be folded, she replied saying it was a power wheelchair and couldn't fold down.
Upon learning that the chair was too large, Shelley contacted the special assistance customer service, expressing her frustration: "I ended up ringing special assistance customer services and they asked could he not go without the chair, and refused to take his chair," reports the Liverpool Echo.
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"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 alleges that Ryanair initially declined to offer a refund before eventually giving in. In response to Shelley's grievances, Ryanair issued a statement to The Irish Times, dismissing the allegation that they didn't offer a refund.
In their statement, the airline stated "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."
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The power wheelchair wasn't required in the end, as the family managed to find a manual wheelchair which was used on the day. Shelley said this led to more issues. She explained that Daire needed to use an "aisle chair" to transfer onto the plane seat.
She also alleges 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 claimed that the airline "completely took Daire's independence away and made him feel like an inconvenience".
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A Ryanair spokesperson stated that 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 has also refuted the claim that they asked Daire's mother if he could travel without his wheelchair, and confirmed that a refund was offered. They further clarified that wheelchair boardings are managed by the Dublin Airport Authority, not individual airlines.
Ryanair dismissed Shelley's assertion that "Ryanair completely took Daire's independence away" as "false and absurd". The airline did not respond to follow-up queries from The Irish Times regarding Daire's seating at the back of the aircraft.
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Shelley spoke out about the incident on Northern Sound radio on Friday: "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."
Our sister publication, the Irish Mirror, has reached out to Ryanair for further comment on the matter. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
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