14 DAY TRIAL // Former college professor D. Baraka Kanaan from Hawaii has lawyered up and is taking legal action against Delta Airlines for an incident that occurred last year, which saw him literally forced to crawl down the aisle, down the steps and across the tarmac to get off the plane.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Kanaan made sure to mention when he booked his flight from Maui to Nantucket, Mass., that he would need special assistance to get on and off the plane because he could not walk.
He was assured he’d get it; he was re-assured of the same when his first flight was canceled because of the weather and he was booked for a later one the next day.
However, when it came to getting off the plane, Kanaan was shocked to see that there was no aisle chair and no lift to help him, even though companies are required to provide both for cases such as his.
“When Kanaan asked about his options, the flight attendant said, ‘I don't know, but we can't get you off the plane,’ the suit states,” the Houston Chronicle writes.
“Although a lift was visible at an adjacent gate, Kanaan was forced to crawl out of the plane and across the tarmac without any assistance from the crew and with many people watching, according to the lawsuit,” adds the report.
He called the airline company to complain and, as expected, to make sure the same won’t happen to him on the return trip.
According to the lawsuit, his efforts were in vain because he was in the exact same situation a few days later. The only “assistance” he got from the Delta staff was an offer to put cardboards on the floor so that he wouldn’t get his clothes dirty while crawling out of the plane.
In the same suit, Kanaan says that Delta offered him 25,000 sky miles for the inconvenience, which he turned down because he decided to sue instead.
No word yet on what kind of compensation he’s seeking but, one would think, a heartfelt apology is first in order.
Delta refused to comment on the allegations made in the suit.