American Airlines traveler left behind in wheelchair at O’Hare: report

An
American Airlines passenger was reportedly left behind at
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
overnight.
AP

• An American
  Airlines passenger in a wheelchair was reportedly left
  stranded for hours at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport
  after her flight was canceled and a porter left her alone when
  his shift ended. 
• CBS Chicago reported that 67-year-old
  Olympia Warsaw has Parkinson’s Disease and
  diabetes, which means that she has difficulties communicating
  and must use a wheelchair.
• Once the flight was canceled, the airline offered
  Warsaw a hotel room voucher, but because Warsaw has trouble
  communicating, she couldn’t call anyone for
  transportation.
• In a statement to Business Insider, an American
  Airlines spokesperson said, “The American Airlines team is
  deeply concerned about what occurred Friday evening at Chicago
  O’Hare. This is not the level of service we aspire to provide
  to our customers, and we apologize to Ms. Warsaw and her family
  for letting them down.”

An American Airlines traveler in a wheelchair was left stranded
for hours at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after her
flight was canceled and the porter assigned to assist her left
her alone once his shift ended, multiple news sources have
reported. 

According to CBS Chicago, 67-year-old
Olympia Warsaw was left behind at O’Hare after her flight to
Detroit was canceled and the porter assigned to watch her left at
the end of his shift. Warsaw, who lives in Detroit, was in
Chicago to attend the funeral of her ex-husband. 

The local CBS affiliate reported that Warsaw has Parkinson’s
Disease and diabetes, which means that she has difficulties
communicating and must use a wheelchair. 

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Warsaw’s son, Claude Coltea, told CBS he walked her to the gate
and confirmed with the agent that the flight was on time and that
the airline would take care of his mother. 

“She said, ‘Yup, all’s fine. We’ll take good care of your
mom,'” he
said.

Once the flight was canceled, the airline reportedly
offered Warsaw a hotel room voucher, but because Warsaw has
trouble communicating, she couldn’t call anyone for
transportation. Once the porter left her at the end of his shift,
Warsaw had to ask a random passenger to help her use the
bathroom, her son Julian Coltea told CBS Chicago. 

It was only after Warsaw did not arrive in Detroit that her
family reportedly called the airport and the airline to track her
down. She was eventually located hours later by O’Hare airport
security in the wheelchair and the same clothes she had worn to
the funeral. 

In a statement to Business Insider, a spokesperson for American
Airlines said, “The American Airlines team is deeply concerned
about what occurred Friday evening at Chicago O’Hare. This is not
the level of service we aspire to provide to our customers, and
we apologize to Ms. Warsaw and her family for letting them down.”

The spokesperson added that the airline had launched an
investigation with its Chicago team and the vendor it utilizes
for wheelchair serves at O’Hare, and that it is “developing a
process with our vendor to ensure this does not happen again.”

The airline told Business Insider it has refunded Warsaw’s
ticket, adding: “Our customer relations team has spoken with the
family multiple times, and other team members met with the family
in Chicago and Detroit on Saturday.” 

The
special assistance page on American Airlines’ website states
that coordinators are available for travelers upon request and
that American Airlines also has a disability team that travelers
can call.