A man who uses a specialized wheelchair says a recent American Airlines trip left his chair damaged.
What began as a vacation from Detroit to Phoenix last month for Jon Krieger and his partner and caregiver, Amie Frei, turned into what they described as an ordeal of delays, poor communication, and an “insulting” attempt at compensation.
Krieger said he now wants to warn other wheelchair users before they fly.
“It was complete frustration and sadness, actually,” Krieger said.
Krieger and Frei said when they landed, they were told the wheelchair wouldn’t start.
That’s when they learned the airline had been unable to properly fit his specialized wheelchair, and parts of it were damaged.
“All it takes is measurements to know if it’ll fit or not,” Krieger said.
The couple said the airlines contacted a company called Global Repair Group to fix the wheelchair while they were at the airport.
However, the person who called didn’t have the exact parts.
So they called their provider back in Michigan, Durham Medical Provider, which gave them a number for someone in Phoenix who could provide a temporary fix.
The couple said this forced them to stay at the airport for nearly 11 hours because, without a temporary fix, Krieger couldn’t have left.
A later examination found damage to the body, wheels, and joystick, among other components.
A repair quote Krieger shared listed at least one part costing more than $900.
Krieger and Frei said they encountered additional issues on their return flight.
The wheelchair couldn’t fit again, but this time the airlines let them know and rebooked them on a non-direct flight home.
This added hours to their travel time, but they were told there would be a solution.
“Everyone face-to-face was super kind,” Frei said. “And as soon as we left and got referred back to customer relations, that’s when everything went further south,” Frei said.
Back home, days passed before they heard from the airlines.
They tried to escalate their concerns to managers, such as the Chief Customer Officer for the airlines, but said they were only able to reach those they believed were call center representatives.
In emails Krieger shared, the airline initially apologized for what happened. In a later message, however, the airlines said it would not change its original assessment of the situation.
Krieger said the company offered him a $300 travel credit during a phone call.
He declined. But after he said communication with the company had stopped, he wondered whether they would still cover the repair costs.
“To be very clear, I don’t know if everything will be covered,” Krieger said. “We’re still working with Global Repair Group. Some of it may have to go to my insurance. I have nothing in writing.”
Local 4 reached out to American Airlines for comment on Krieger’s experience.
The first request for comment was sent the morning of March 27.
A follow-up email was sent later that day, and we received an automated reply instructing us to put “urgent” in the subject line if they were on a deadline.
That was done on April 8, Wednesday morning.
As of publication, the station has not received a response.
As he waits for his wheelchair to be fully repaired, something he hopes will happen by the end of the month.
Krieger and Frei said they’ve had to drive to multiple appointments to have the chair assessed, disrupting their daily schedules.
Krieger said he doesn’t want other wheelchair users to go through what he did.
“Do research and do prep,” Krieger said. “Know your aircraft type and door size.”
He advises travelers who use wheelchairs to call the airline before booking a flight to confirm that their chair can be accommodated safely.
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