A British journalist has reported that he was denied boarding on a flight because of his Parkinson’s disease.
Mark Mardell, aged 68 and a former BBC presenter, says he was left feeling ‘humiliated’ after allegedly being barred from boarding a Turkish Airlines flight due to his medical condition.
Attempting to return to London from Istanbul after a week-long vacation with his son, Mark encountered issues when trying to board his return flight.
He claims the crew insisted on a doctor’s letter confirming he was fit to travel, despite no such requirement being imposed on his outbound flight on October 20.
“I feel so humiliated,” Mardell shared with The Sunday Times. “It’s this terrible feeling of vulnerability.
“I nearly burst into tears about five times.”
In response to the incident, a Turkish Airlines spokesperson expressed being ‘deeply saddened’ about the ‘misunderstanding’ and announced the removal of the requirement for medical documentation from individuals with Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease, as described by the Mayo Clinic, is a progressive disorder affecting the nervous system, often leading to symptoms like tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement, and balance difficulties.
Reflecting on the experience, Mark commented: “It’s quite a hard thing to admit, even to yourself, that you are disabled.
“It is quite a thing for me to say: ‘I need assisted boarding, I am handicapped’.
“You know it does lower you in the estimation of some people, makes you lesser in their eyes.
He further explained: “We thought they meant originally a letter from your doctor to prove you had Parkinson’s,” he continued. “No, it turns out you can’t fly without a letter from your doctor to say there is no harm in flying.”
Although his son, Jake, 32, returned home on the scheduled flight, Mark found himself ‘stranded’ at the airport for seven hours before securing a hotel stay. He eventually flew back to the UK with Wizz Air the following day.
Despite the disruption, Mark recounted a particularly unpleasant interaction with a staff member.
He recounted her saying: “‘No he has got Parkinson’s, you can’t let him on board’.
“She went off to be horrible to some other passenger in a wheelchair and shouted at them.”
“She said, ‘Look at you, your hands are shaking,’” Mark continued. “My hands don’t shake. It’s not one of my symptoms. But maybe they were because I was nervous and upset. It was so mean.
“She said: ‘It’s for your own good’. So my bags were taken off the flight.
“You are feeling vulnerable anyway and you are staggering around … and I just couldn’t walk anymore. I just wanted to sit down,” he reflected on the hours he spent alone in the airport.
“The odd thing was that they say it’s for your own good and then they let you stagger around an airport.”
After lodging a complaint with Turkish Airlines, Mark claims a representative wished him a ‘speedy recovery’, despite Parkinson’s being incurable, and offered a refund for the missed flight.
In their statement, a spokesperson for the airline said: “We are deeply saddened that our policy, which was implemented to ensure the safety of our passengers during flight, to assess any potential medical needs in advance, and to determine whether additional assistance may be required, has been perceived in this manner.
“In light of this incident, and taking into consideration the consultations we conducted with all relevant stakeholders, we have revised the procedure that led to this misunderstanding.
“Accordingly, we have removed the requirement for passengers diagnosed with Parkinson’s to submit a medical report prior to travel.”
It continued: “We would like to emphasize that we highly value the feedback shared with us in the aftermath of this event and that we remain open to all recommendations aimed at improving the passenger experience within our processes.
“Our strong commitment to accessibility, inclusiveness, and full compliance with all applicable regulations remains unchanged.
“As the airline with the world’s most extensive international flight network, our foremost mission is to offer a safe, more inclusive, and more considerate travel experience for all our guests, while taking their health conditions into due consideration.”