Abandoned at the airport in Spain. Information: none. Assistance: less than zero. Humanity hasn't arrived. "The thing that infuriates me is that it happened precisely because I'm in a wheelchair: it is not possible to accept it". Marco Altea, 44 years old from Cagliari, is between angry and incredulous when he talks about the surreal situation he experienced. And continue to live in these hours. Snubbed by two airlines and an airport management company, yesterday he was unable to return home to Sardinia. He will reach the Island today. Perhaps. Over 24 hours later than expected, a lot of money spent (plus, and luckily he had it) and an unacceptable experience behind him.
It all starts with a delay. Altea was in Paris with her friend Rubens Piras and yesterday, at 18.40, their Vueling plane should have left for Palma de Mallorca (landing time, on paper 20.30), with the connection ready for Cagliari, flight operated by Ryanair (take-off at 21.50): a choice of connections made through a specialized application, which recommends the cheapest and fastest routes.
"The take-off was over an hour late," he says. The duration of the flight was uneventful. But once they landed in Sant Joan, Palma de Mallorca, given the delay, those who moved on their own legs ran down to the Ryanair gate. For Altea it was not possible: «For those in wheelchairs assistance is required», he says, explaining the obvious, «but the employees showed up after more than half an hour». Traveled with my friend Piras on the aircraft. And the coincidence? Lost: the other company did not wait for them.
«So we went to the Ryanair information point at the airport», Altea continues, «in a civilized way we asked for help, directions. That is: what would have become of us?». Vueling snubbed them, "and the Ryanair ground operator, on the other side of the glass, turned off the microphone and left, saying it wasn't their job".
Leave yourself alone. Piras activates the video camera on his cell phone, Altea tells us on video: it is clear that he is incredulous of what happened. without barriers ( ). One who is committed to the rights of others, who has seen his own trampled by indifference and inefficiency.
