Kate Hugh Smith, 64, was left in tears on a British Airways business class flight after a ‘faulty armrest collapsed’ and ‘crushed her hand’ – leaving her with a broken finger.
How it Happened
The mother and grandmother had been flying home to Gatwick Airport after enjoying a family holiday in Barbados.
But 30 minutes into her journey, the right armrest on her seat fell on her right hand and trapped her fingers for an agonising ‘minute or two’ while she struggled to free them.
No One Came to Her Rescue
She then pressed her in-flight call button to try and get someone’s attention but again says no one came to help.
Not until the mother-of-three shouted out loudly to an air stewardess then was the manager alerted and came to her assistance 20 minutes later.
Management Knew About the Fault
Kate claims the BA manager admitted they were aware of the faulty seat but said there was nowhere else she could sit so had to remain in her broken chair for the duration of the journey.
Before landing, the passengers says a BA staff member took a photo of her hand and said the airline would be in touch about her injury but claims this didn’t happen.
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After reaching out to BA on various occasions since her flight on December 31st last year, she says she has still not received her incident report or any compensation for the incident three months later.
A British Airways spokesperson sad: ‘We’re really sorry for our customer’s experience and have been in contact with them to apologise for the delay while our teams continue to assess their claim,’ per DailyMail.
Kate Feels ‘Not Valued’
Kate, who is a Bronze BA member and flies regularly with the airline, says the company’s lack of response has left her feeling ‘dismissed’ and not ‘valued’ as a customer.
As it is, she will find alternative airlines to fly with for her future holidays.
