Rafaella Miltiadou's post in which she complains about an airline went viral on social media, with Cyprus Airways responding with a statement.
Rafaella Miltiados, Road Safety Ambassador 2021, made a public complaint on social media against Cyprus airways stating that she was not allowed to board the plane because she did not have an escort.
According to what she mentions in her post on Facebook, the airline's official website did not give her the opportunity to record that she has mobility problems and that because of this she needs a specially adapted wheelchair to be transferred to her seat from the aircraft door.
"Thank you for forcing me to travel with an escort, while I am a perfectly functioning person and most importantly for not informing me of this obligation neither when I booked my ticket nor during check-in, but you preferred to announce it to me extortionately hour before my flight.." she says, among other things, in her post.
In closing, she thanked her fellow travelers who offered to be the "infamous companion" so that they could finally travel together.
Cyprus Airways issued a statement regarding the incident.
Such is the announcement
Cyprus Airways expresses its sincere apologies for this very unfortunate incident involving a passenger with reduced mobility.
Cyprus Airways, as the Flag Carrier of our island, is committed to taking all passengers to their destination, however, as an airline, we must adhere to and enforce local, European and global (IATA) regulations.
It is disappointing when some of these regulations are not accepted by our passengers, and we always go the extra mile to find solutions. In this case, that passenger has been successfully transported to and from their scheduled destination.
We hope all our passengers understand that their collective safety comes first.
Furthermore, taking into account this case and the recent commitment to the Cyprus Paralympic Committee, as its sponsors, Cyprus Airways will review and carry out additional risk assessments to ensure that all passengers are safe and supported and served to the maximum caution.