In a humiliating incident, a 10-year-old disabled boy was asked to prove his disability before he boarded a Jet2 flight from Croatia.
Jack Johnson, son of former rugby league star, Andy Johnson, 43, was diagnosed with the incurable Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy in 2012 and his parents were told the condition will probably claim his life by 30 years of age.
Flying home from Split, Croatia on Tuesday to Leeds after a family holiday, a mix-up with Jack’s wheelchair led Jet2 staff to question whether he was really disabled.
Jack’s mum Alex Johnson, 33, took to social media to slam the airline for ‘ruining’ the holiday.
She wrote: ‘I can honestly say we have never experienced anything as shambolic and as humiliating for our son as our flight home from Split with Jet 2.’
‘The indignity of the situation was awful. Jack was crying and saying ‘I just want to go home to my grandma’s’. ‘ she added.
The family was finally allowed to onto their flight after two hours, and that so after Alex handed over Jack’s blue badge.
The airline has since apologised for what it called an ‘isolated incident’. ‘ Although this is an isolated incident, we have learnt a number of lessons and are we are urgently reviewing all our procedures to ensure that this does not happen again,’ the airline said.