Delta Airlines has issued an apology to a woman with multiple sclerosis who says she was tied to her wheelchair after an international flight.
Maria Saliagas took a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Amsterdam on April 1. According to a report by WSB-TV, her son called in advance to arrange for a wheelchair to meet her when she arrived in Europe. However, the wheelchair wasn’t fully equipped for Saliagas’s needs.
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Saliagas was diagnosed with MS five years ago, yet she didn’t want to let the disease interfere with her and her husband’s annual trips overseas. Her wheelchair at home has special straps to help her sit upright. When the wheelchair in Amsterdam didn’t have them, Delta employees reportedly tried to accomodate her with makeshift straps.
“They took a dirty blanket and tied her forcefully with it, and she has bruise marks on this part of her arm, which is where it was tied,” her son, Nathan Saliagas told WSB-TV. “I want them to show initiative that they’re willing to change their disability services.”
Saliagas has already been offered 20,000 free SkyMiles following the incident, but her son isn’t satisfied. He simply wants a commitment that they’ll work harder to accommodate disabled passengers.
“I definitely know that they’re a good airline, I’m not doubting that at all, but in this specific situation, there was no courtesy, no respect,” Nathan Saliagas said. “There was complete operations failure.”
Delta Airlines issued an apology on Tuesday, promising that Saliagas’s return flight on Monday would have better accommodations for her.
“We regret the perception our service has left on these customers,” the company’s statement read. “We have reached out to them, not only to resolve their concerns, but also to ensure that their return flight exceeds expectations.”
The same day, Nathan Saliagas posted on Facebook, criticizing Delta employees for “physically and emotionally” abusing his mother.
“When she started crying, she was told to ‘shut the f— up’ or she will be ‘left there,’” he wrote. “This highly inhumane and disgusting treatment by Delta Air Lines is unacceptable and a need for change.”
Delta has yet to comment on the new post.
According to WSB-TV, Maria Saliagas has received better service from Delta in the past. In the years since she was diagnosed, she said that staff members have had a proper wheelchair for her several times, so she had no reason to believe this time would be any different.
