Woman in wheelchair with MS claims Delta Air Lines mistreated her
ATLANTA -- A woman with multiple sclerosis says Delta Air Lines employees tied her to a wheelchair with a blanket when they didn't have a chair that could accommodate her disability when she arrived in Amsterdam recently, and her son says a supervisor cursed at her as she wept. But the airline is offering a different account of what happened.
Maria Saliagas tells WSB-TV that Delta usually provides a wheelchair with straps because she can't sit up on her own. Nathan Saliagas tweeted April 2 that Delta's actions left his mother bruised and crying.
He tweeted a photo of his mother and tagged Delta and several local journalists.
Delta spokesman Anthony Black says the company regrets "the perception our service has left on these customers."
The company offered the family 20,000 SkyMiles, but they say they want changes in the disability policy.
Nathan Saliagas says he's complained to federal transportation officials.
The airline issued a statement to CBS News saying, "We are disappointed that our customers didn't feel they had a well-cared-for travel experience and will ensure that their return flight exceeds expectations. While Delta always looks for ways to improve the overall customer experience, our findings do not align with details shared by the customer's family."
The carrier says the contractor used by the airport in Amsterdam provided a wheelchair in which Maria Saliagas was taken of the plane. European Union law requires airlines to use airport-contracted wheelchair vendors.
Once she was off the plane, Delta says, Saliagas was offered other wheelchairs better suited for use in the airport than the one in which she deplaned, and she picked one. But once she was in it, she told workers she felt she was slipping and "agreed to blankets being offered as a way to provide comfort and secure her to the wheelchair."
Delta added that the blankets used were taken from their sealed, original plastic wrap. Nathan Saliagas had claimed Delta used dirty blankets.
