• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  Delta Air Lines  >  Delta Breaks Wheelchairs
Delta Air Lines

Delta Breaks Wheelchairs

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 28, 2021 3 Comments

While United Airlines may break guitars, Delta Air Lines has been accused of breaking a very special wheelchair.

Delta Breaks Wheelchairs

Gabrielle DeFiebre was traveling on Delta from New York (JFK) to Phoenix (PHX). DeFiebre requires a wheelchair for mobility and claims the wheelchair was in “perfect condition” when she left it by the aircraft door in New York. But when she landed in Phoenix she found that the wheels were warped and mangled.”

That left DeFiebre in tears. A friend traveling with her posted the following video on TikTok, which has gone viral:

A girl I know had her power-assist wheels for her wheelchair (that she needs to be independent) broken by Delta. This is an ongoing issue that has happened to countless people in chairs flying with different airlines. You can’t replace something custom made for you in a day. pic.twitter.com/yjYD5QmZ0l

— Beak (@AstridLevinson) May 22, 2021

A Delta spokesperson conceded the damage and apologized:

“We’re so sorry that her wheelchair was damaged and have been in touch with her directly to make this right, including support to make repairs to her device. We know our customers with disabilities rely on Delta for their travel needs, and we fell short here. We’re conducting a full investigation of what happened because we must be better.”

But DeFiebre has complained, “It has been almost a week since my wheel was damaged, and Delta never provided a set of loaner wheels.”

Meanwhile, even the International Air Transport Association (IATA) offered its condolences and promised an education campaign to minimize future incidents:

We are engaging the accessibility & aviation communities to better this situation for travelers with wheelchairs. The handling of mobility aids is a key area we are addressing for improvement – & there will be more news to come on this. Follow us for more. 2/2

— IATA (@IATA) May 25, 2021

CONCLUSION

DeFiebre’s friend noted on TikTok, “People in wheelchairs live in constant fear of airlines breaking our wheelchairs because it happens so often. I am so tired of watching my community suffer.”

It sounds like Delta will make it right, especially after the publicity, but like the United Airlines guitar incident, it is reasonable to ask why this happened in the first place.

Previous Article Oscar Munoz Says Farewell To United Airlines
Next Article Norse Atlantic Airways Will Hire 700 U.S. Flight Attendants

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Waldo Delta LAX

    “Where’s Waldo?” Jumps Out Of Delta 737-800 At LAX, Scoots Down Exit Slide

    March 27, 2023
  • Steve Kirsch Mask

    I Need To Fly With Steve Kirsch…

    March 11, 2023
  • Delta SkyMiles Schedule Change

    Delta Air Lines Strands Senior Citizens In Middle East After Absurd Schedule Change

    February 8, 2023

3 Comments

  1. Heather Reply
    May 28, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Why indeed? Basic human compassion should lead crews to treat a wheelchair with the greatest of care.

  2. Blah Reply
    May 28, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    Let’s be honest we expect the “utmost care” when it is ours but better be out as fast as possible. This forces those loading the plane making minimum wage to rush anything left at the door of the plane to rush everything down and into cargo.

  3. John Ham Reply
    May 29, 2021 at 10:43 am

    Broken wheelchairs are a statistic tracked by the DOT monthly

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Lufthansa First Class Review
    Review: Lufthansa 747-8 First Class Frankfurt – Chicago March 28, 2023
  • Air France-KLM Business Class Seat Fees
    Air France-KLM Business Class Seat Assignment Fees: Unwelcome Yet Reasonable March 28, 2023
  • United Airlines Crew Hold Times
    Flight Attendants At United Airlines Asked To Self-Report Poor Service Via “Marginal Service Reports” March 27, 2023
  • Waldo Delta LAX
    “Where’s Waldo?” Jumps Out Of Delta 737-800 At LAX, Scoots Down Exit Slide March 27, 2023

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Kayleigh Scott United Airlines
    The Tragic Death Of A United Airlines Flight Attendant March 21, 2023
  • United Airlines Domestic First Class Menu
    United Airlines Refreshes Domestic First Class Menu February 28, 2023
  • Southwest Airlines Wife Slap
    Enraged Husband Attacks Man On Southwest Airlines Flight After He Bumps Wife March 8, 2023
  • United Polaris Lounge LAX Review
    Review: United Airlines Polaris Lounge Los Angeles (LAX) March 24, 2023

Archives

March 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Feb    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.