Qantas passenger with rare disorder ‘humiliated’ after being downgraded from business class to accommodate staff member

A passenger living with a rare condition was told she was being downgraded from business class, despite her medical needs.

THREE KEY FACTS

• A woman living with a rare disorder was waiting in the airport lounge for her flight when she was told she couldn’t keep her business class seat
• She says she feels humiliated by the airline
• Qantas says that it “should not have happened” and has apologised to the passenger

A Queensland woman who can only fly business class due to a medical condition said she was humiliated and in tears after Qantas asked her to give up her seat to accommodate its crew.

On June 3, Donna Carlson intended to go to Cairns on flight QF710 to visit her daughter - who she hadn’t seen for a year - after accumulating frequent flyer points for a seat in business class.

She was already at the business class lounge at Brisbane Airport when she made the difficult choice to cancel the booking, the Courier Mail reported.

Staff made arrangements for a wheelchair and took the Toowoomba local to the flight lounge before initially telling her that the flight had been oversold, Carlson claims. She said she was given three options: downgrade to economy, take an alternative flight - or cancel and get a refund.

The problem was that Carlson has Type 3 Achalasia - a rare medical condition that affects the oesophagus and ability to swallow - and she made the booking for business class to cater to her medical needs.

Carlson said that she has no choice but to eat through a feeding tube and the extra space in business class lessens the likelihood of the tube dislodging. She also needs to be close to the toilets.

“I was left sitting outside the service desk outside the business class lounge feeling distressed and completely humiliated,” she told the Courier Mail.

“I hadn’t seen my daughter for a year and I was really excited to be going to Cairns and I was in tears because of the frustration of being told by Qantas that they had overbooked the flight and nobody could help me.”

She added that flying business class is not a choice, but a medical need: “Business class is the way I have to travel.”

The passenger’s husband, Brian Carlson, lashed out at the airline following the booking ordeal.

He told the Courier Mail: “What we’re upset about, annoyed about and to be honest, angry about is that she was chosen when other passengers could have been chosen

“All the airlines oversell flights, but they picked the one passenger who couldn’t be downgraded.”

A Qantas spokesperson said in a statement when approached for comment by the Herald: “We understand how upsetting this experience must have been for Ms Carlson and have apologised. It should not have happened.”

The airline added that the flight was not oversold. The seat was required for technical crew who were required to travel at short notice for operational reasons.

It’s not the first time the Australian carrier has faced backlash this year.

Last month Qantas apologised to another Queensland passenger after telling him that his medical certificate did not qualify for their compassionate fare refund rules.

In February, an angry traveller accused the airline of providing an “inedible” breakfast.