Qantas passenger slams airline after she was ‘completely humiliated’ at the airport lounge

A Qantas passenger has lashed out at the airline for demoting her from business class, even though she told staff she needed it because of her disability.

Donna Carlson was planning to visit her daughter in Cairns and had already passed through security at Brisbane Airport when she was informed of the change on June 3.

She was told the flight had been oversold and that she would either have to downgrade, wait for another flight, or cancel and accept a refund.

Ms. Carlson explained that she needed the chairs because she lives with type 3 achalasia – a rare condition that affects the esophagus and causes difficulty swallowing.

The condition left the mother behind a feeding tube through her nose, limited control over bowel movements and mobility problems due to malnutrition.

Ms. Carlson said she needed better access to the bathrooms and more space so her feeding tube doesn’t break, which is hard to find in economy class.

She decided to cancel the ticket after being left ‘saddened and completely humiliated’ outside the business lounge.

“I hadn’t seen my daughter in a year and I was really excited to go to Cairns and I was in tears with frustration when Qantas told me they had overbooked the flight and no one could help me,” she said. the Courier mail.

Ms. Carlson had paid for the seat with the frequent flyer points she had accumulated over time.

Upon check-in, she was given her ticket with an assigned seat and a wheelchair to help her get to the business class lounge.

Ms Carlson said Qantas staff then approached her and informed her of the change to her ticket, even though they were aware of her condition.

Her husband Brian was furious that his partner was chosen over other passengers.

“What we’re angry about… and quite frankly, angry about, is that she was chosen when other passengers could have been chosen,” he said.

“All airlines sell too many flights, but they picked that one passenger who couldn’t be brought down.”

Despite airline staff being aware of the illness and that she required business class to meet her needs, she was told her seat had been taken by the technical crew (supply)

A Qantas spokesperson said the flight was not overbooked and the seat was needed for technical staff needing to travel at short notice.

“We understand how distressing this experience must have been for Ms. Carlson. It shouldn’t have happened,” he said.

“We will be contacting her to apologize and discuss the matter further.”

It comes just weeks before the rollout of an overhaul of its frequent flyer loyalty program as the airline looks to revamp its image after a series of controversies.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.