Barry Dobner, a 79-year-old man from Rock Ferry, Wirral, was left feeling humiliated after he was removed from an easyJet flight because he couldn’t walk to the toilet. He was supposed to fly from Manchester to Athens on April 3 with his wife Alison and their friend Sheila for a two-week holiday in Greece.
Barry, who has used a wheelchair since a stroke 18 years ago, said the moment was very upsetting. “Everyone on the plane was watching. You can imagine how that felt,” he said.
Even though Barry had informed easyJet about his disability when booking the flight, and he received assistance when boarding, problems started when a flight attendant saw a urinal bottle in his bag. When asked if he could walk to the toilet, his wife said no. The crew then told them he couldn’t stay on the plane and had to leave.
Alison said they had flown before without any issues and were shocked by how they were treated. “What upset me the most was how they spoke to him. It was awful. They already knew he was disabled. The passengers just sat there in shock,” she said.
Barry said the incident really affected him. “I’ve always been a cheerful person, but this made me feel like I was no longer a person—just an object. It crushed my confidence,” he explained. He added that he’d flown several times since his stroke with no problems, so he didn’t understand why this happened now.
The holiday was meant to celebrate Barry’s upcoming 80th birthday, but they missed the trip and lost around £2,000 on bookings. Barry said they had hotels and a car booked in Athens and are now trying to recover their losses through insurance. When they asked easyJet about a refund, they were simply told to call the airline.
easyJet responded by apologizing and said they’re in contact with Barry and his group to issue a full refund and compensation. They also said they aim to be accessible to all passengers and that most people needing help are happy with their service.
