AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 5

WHEELCHAIR SEVERELY DAMAGED BY UNCARING GROUND CREW AFTER AMERICN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW REFUSES TO MOVE ITS LUGGAGE TO ACCOMMODATE ONBOARD WHEELCHAIR STORAGE

Editor's note: We arrived home on Dec. 31 from a week in Mexico City. The City was great, our Hotel -- the St.Regis -- was spectacular but the flight getting there was a nightmare caused by American Airlines employees who are abusive toward the needs of disabled travelers. It is no wonder why this carrier is in banktruptcy. We will share our tale of disability discrimination during the next several days. The postings are in the form of a letter to American Airlines, which has not even been addressed -- despite the urgency of our complaints.

Finally, the ground crew appeared with the metal rod that holds the chair in place.

This was only a half solution, because the plastic piece that holds the rod in place was never located. By now the plane was empty, the flight crew were heading toward the jet bridge and customs was waiting for us.

I crumpled some napkins to stuff in place of the plastic piece and pushed my wife’s wheelchair toward Mexican customs.

I asked the AA gate agent where we could make a complaint, but she said it was Christmas Day and no one was around and if they were, we’d have to make our damage complaint in Spanish.

Thankfully, at customs, an airport employee saw how upset we were and my wife, in her primitive Spanish, explained our plight and pointed to the missing plastic piece and the rod now jutting dangerously out the side of the seat.

The kind man helped us Scotch tape over the napkins to try to hold the rod in place.