A passenger who was left stranded in Singapore after part of her wheelchair was lost while flying with Emirates can now resume her holiday.
Gemma Quinn, 35, was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident in 1992. She booked a 19-day trip across Asia with her two caregivers which cost more than $19,000.
Quinn was almost forced to celebrate the holidays in a hotel room after she discovered the airline had lost a crucial part of her custom-made wheelchair during her flight from Manchester to Dubai on Dec. 23,
Airport staff in Dubai pushed Quinn through the terminal in a stretcher in order to make her connecting flight, as reported in the Independent. She was assured the airline would have a solution by the time she arrived in Singapore.
However, once she arrived, the missing part was still nowhere to be found. Quinn arrived in Singapore on Dec.24 but was left unable to leave her bed or complete the next two stops on her country-hopping trip.
Quinn was stuck in a hotel and her vacation was on halt until the issue was resolved.
“This was meant to be a holiday of a lifetime which is now turned into a living nightmare,” she said. “I have always tried to live as normal and active a life as possible. Travel always comes with its difficulties but I have never been made to feel so disabled as I do now.”
On Christmas Day, Emirates confirmed with the Independent that the missing part of Quinn’s chair had been found and apologized for the inconvenience.
“Emirates wishes to confirm that the missing part of Ms. Quinn’s wheelchair has been located in Dubai and is being transported to Singapore on Dec. 25, 2019.
Quinn told the Independent that she would wait until the part had been returned to her before celebrating.