NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — After flying home through John F. Kennedy airport from Arizona, a Long Island woman discovered her $6,000 motorized wheelchair was nowhere to be found.
Coming from grad school across the country, 25-year-old Victoria O’Brien waited three hours in JFK Airport after her flight landed while American Airlines tried to locate her missing wheelchair but were ultimately unsuccessful.
“My wheelchair is my life,” O’Brien, who has cerebral palsy, told WCBS 880.
O’Brien was looking forward to starting her first full-time job this summer at a summer camp but now it might be more difficult without her wheelchair which was either lost or stolen.
“Without a wheelchair, I can't really go out and do things,” O’Brien said.
Typically very independent and a frequent traveler, O’Brien is now confined to her back up manual wheelchair until she can get a new specialized motorized one, which could take months.
“That chair that they stole was not even a year old,” O’Brien said. “Insurance pays for it but every five to 10 years. I couldn't even get a new chair through insurance if I wanted to.”
The airline, O’Brien said, hasn’t been helpful at all but many kindhearted people have reached out to offer financial support toward a new chair but O’Brien has other ideas for the donations.
“We want American Airlines to be held more accountable and I want them to pay for it,” O’Brien said. “However, if you do want to give money, we are planning to donate it to an organization that helps support wheelchairs and airlines accountability called United Spinal Association.”
American Airlines told WCBS 880 that they offered O’Brien a wheelchair to use in the meantime until they investigate the incident further.
“At American, we strive to ensure customers of all abilities have a positive travel experience,” an American Airlines spokesperson said. “We have been in touch with Ms. O’Brien to apologize and offer assistance following reports that her wheelchair was taken from the jet bridge while customers from American Airlines Flight 2339 were deplaning at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on May 4, 2022. Our team has opened an investigation into the reported issue and is actively working to learn more.”
O’Brien said she wants airlines to be more mindful when handling wheelchairs and not treat them as luggage when they are people’s lifeline.
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