An Atlanta woman who suffers from multiple sclerosis says she was tied to a wheelchair by Delta Airlines employees who brought the wrong chair to help her off a jetliner.
Maria Saliagas was diagnosed with MS five years ago, and needs assistance to get around, her son, Nathan, told InsideEdition.com. He arranges annual trips for his mother and father to visit his grandmother in Greece.
Nathan said his parents always fly Delta, and that he regularly requests wheelchair assistance for his mother. But earlier this month, when his parents landed in Amsterdam, the ground crew brought a chair that had no foot rests and no seat belt, he said.
His mother has limited mobility and often slides forward. She was leaning in the chair that Delta provided and feared she would fall out, her son said.
The crew "took a dirty blanket from somebody else and tied it around. Her feet were just dangling," Nathan said. His mother had bruises on her chest from being tightly tied to the chair and bruises on her feet from bumping down the plane's narrow aisle.
By the time she was wheeled into the airport, she was crying, Nathan said. "My dad took a picture of her in that condition," and Nathan posted it to social media. He also filed a complaint with the airline. Delta offered 20,000 free miles, Nathan said, but his family doesn't consider that enough.
The Saliagas want Delta to change its guidelines for how it deals with disabled passengers.
“We are disappointed that our customers didn't feel they had a well-cared-for travel experience and will ensure that their return flight exceeds expectations," said the airline in an emailed statement to InsideEdition.com.
"While Delta always looks for ways to improve the overall customer experience, our findings do not align with details shared by the customer’s family.”
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