A woman was banned from a return flight from Jamaica following an incident on a plane. Victoria Devorie arrived at the airport ready to fly home only to be told she was not allowed on the TUI flight as she tried to check in.
The 44-year-old, who lives in Crosby, said she was told she was not allowed on any of the airline's other flights home. And she said she was left sitting at the airport without water for nine hours while she waited for a later flight with a different airline.
Victoria, who has autism, said the problems arose as she was travelling from Gatwick Airport to Montego Bay, Jamaica on Thursday, June 8. She said when she needed to use the toilet during the flight she used one nearest to the galley of the plane.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo she said an announcement had been made to say the galley was a working kitchen and not to cross into it. However Victoria said as she waited to use the toilet she crossed into it slightly to allow another person to go past.
She said: "I went up the other side of the plane and was waiting to use the toilet and I moved out of the way for another passenger, and I can remember it verbatim, I stepped a foot into the galley and this crew member reprimanded me like a child.
"When you have autism, certain situations can trigger you. You can go into fight, flight or freeze.
"Initially I froze and I apologised to him and I said ‘I am really sorry, I know the rules, I am just getting out the way of a passenger. You don’t need to talk to me in the way you are talking to me. You’re being really combative’."
She said the incident had left her upset and confused which meant she then exited the wrong by only to be "yelled at" by the flight attendant. Victoria said she had then asked for the person's name which he refused but instead told her she was still in the galley.
She said: "I was trying to make him understand I wasn’t doing it on purpose and I said I was sorry. I said ‘I work in service’ and he said ‘oh right so what, if somebody stepped into your kitchen you wouldn’t be annoyed?’
“I said to him ‘if it was an accident I’d ask them to leave and I would understand it’. I told him he was talking to me in a really misogynistic way and it was not acceptable.
“The air steward who had been serving us put his arm on my arm and said ‘go and sit down’. So I exited the other way and he screamed at me and said ‘you’re still doing it' [going into the galley] because I just got really discombobulated.
“So yes, I exited the other way rather than going back across and all the way round. And then I just got really upset.” She added: "The situation left me feeling incredibly upset and triggered, especially considering that TUI was aware of my autism before the flight."
Victoria claims throughout her communication with the airline, and when she booked her holiday, she made them aware she had autism.
However a spokesperson for TUI told the ECHO Ms Devorie did not discuss the fact she had autism with the TUI customer service team at any point during the booking process or prior to departure. They added: "We have a team on hand to work with customers who may require additional support during their holiday."
After arriving at a hotel, Victoria claims there were a number of issues which she logged with TUI and was compensated £250. But then when Victoria tried to check-in 48 hours before her flight home and couldn't. She said she called TUI and said she was told everything was fine.
However, when she arrived at the airport to return home on June 22 she was given a letter, seen by the ECHO, telling her she was not allowed on the TUI flight and was unable to get on another home with the airline.
She said: “They then issued me with a letter telling them I was a flight risk, banned from the flight and they cited on the second page I was drunk, arguing with crew and passing through the galley. I looked at them like ‘what am I supposed to do?’
Victoria was then left facing a £2,500 bill for a Virgin flight to Heathrow while her partner travelled home on the original TUI flight as there were no others available for him to use. She said: "I literally sat in the airport, continuously on the phone to my mum. My phone died and I didn’t have the right USB cable, so I couldn’t charge my phone.
“So I began to have a meltdown. I sat where my partner had left me, I sat there for nine hours. I didn’t even go to the toilet, I didn’t even have a drink of water. It was just playing around and around in my head and was like ‘I wasn’t drunk’.”
Victoria said the incident with the TUI crew member made her feel "unwanted, vulnerable, and afraid, causing serious panic attacks". She added: "When someone books and raises awareness of their disability, the booking agent must flag it or require the person to wear a lanyard with sunflowers, the globally recognised symbol for someone with a disability."
A TUI spokesperson said it was sorry to hear about the events leading up to Victoria being refused boarding and added: "The safety and security of all our customers and crew remains our highest priority. We have a zero tolerance policy to disruptive behaviour on our flights and it's unacceptable to willingly ignore crew safety commands.
"At TUI, we strive to meet all our customers holiday needs and want to make travelling with us a smooth experience from start to finish. We have a team on hand to work with customers who may require additional support during their holiday. Unfortunately the passenger did not discuss this with the TUI customer service team at any point during the booking process or prior to departure."
