Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Attendant Current
Confusion
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Company Policy; Human Factors; Procedure
Passenger in 1E was a passenger of size and also disabled. She was traveling with family members in 26E&F. Customer service started boarding the passenger in 1E while cabin service was still onboard. Aisle chair made it difficult for cabin service to complete job: remove trash; vacuum; restock onboard items. Also made it difficult for the disabled passenger's family to assist her. Passenger in 1E also had an oxygen generator. I told the purser that I was concerned that she was sitting in a bulkhead without a storage location for the O2. The passenger advised us that it would be secured to her person for takeoff. We decided that seemed acceptable; but I am unsure if that is correct. Boarded the rest of the passenger; closed aircraft door; armed doors; performed safety demo. Loading bridge never moved away. Knock at Door 1L. Purser XX disarmed door; removed strap; cracked door. Agent opened and advised that they were having trouble getting 1E's motorized wheelchair to fit into the cargo hold. I went back and got the nephew in 26E to assist. Many questions and suggestions were passed back and forth between these passengers; the agents; and ramp. I asked if the nephew could be escorted to the ramp to assist. The agent; XX; did not have escort privileges; but called for someone. That person arrived and escorted the nephew to the ramp. Quite a bit of time passed. Eventually; the nephew returned and was not able to adjust the wheelchair to fit into the cargo. The agent advised them that they would send the chair on the next flight which could accommodate it. 1E told them she could not be in Dulles without the chair. The agents said she would have to fly on another flight. She told them she had called United with the dimensions of the chair before buying the ticket and had been assured that it would fit. She also required a first class seat. The agents said they did not have any first class seats until tomorrow. 1E had a speaking engagement [in the] morning. There didn't seem to be any options; so 1E; 26E&F were removed from the flight. The aisle chair and her motorized chair had to be brought back. That process took some time as well. The entire family was incredibly disserviced and horribly embarrassed. During all of this; I asked the purser if the rest of the doors should be disarmed. She said to call the cockpit. The cockpit said to do whatever was comfortable. She decided to keep the doors armed. At some point; one of the flight attendants from the back called the purser and spoke with her about the armed doors. (I later found out that the flight attendant in the back was concerned that company policy required the doors to be disarmed if jetway was attached and that she was uncomfortable.) The purser made an announcement to disarm all doors. Then we had to wait for new weights. A few passengers asked to deplane. Another female customer service supervisor spoke with the captain and then made an announcement. She misstated that we would land in ZZZ1 at XA:00. She should have said [an hour earlier]. Several passenger asked again to leave; she corrected the announcement and advised them it would be better to stay. The door was closed; armed; and cross-checked. Then a passenger from 30A came forward on the phone and demanded to be let off the plane. The purser told her the door was closed and that she could not deplane. XX; working in the back; went up to the cockpit and advised him of the situation. The loading bridge was brought back. 30A left and several other people were asking if it was better to leave or stay. They wanted to know if their lodging would be paid if they misconnected. No one seemed to be able to answer these questions from customer service. Then an announcement of last chance to deplane was made and the door was closed. Doors were armed. Two other people came rushing forward wanting to leave. They yelled at the purser that you can't state last chance and immediately close the door. The purser advised the captain; and the jet bridge was brought back again. The captain made an announcement to gather your belongings and immediately move to the front door if you wanted to leave. Doors disarmed; door opened. 4 people left. Then someone in coach demanded the first class seat that was now available. Turned out he was not next on the list. The purser found the next person on the upgrade list and reseated them. Finally; we pushed back and flew to ZZZ1. Upon arrival in ZZZ1; we experienced another issue. The loading bridge did not come up to the airplane immediately. Had to ask the captain to make an announcement. He advised the passenger that 40 bags had to be removed from the rear of the aircraft first before any passengers could leave for weight and balance issues; related to the issue we experienced in ZZZ. Passengers had pretty much had it at that point; most missing international connections. This experience could not have been more challenging. It all began with whomever advised 1E that the wheelchair would fit. I question whether the Disabilities Act was violated. I'm not sure about the safety of the O2 generator being secured to a person. 3 of 4 doors left armed seems like a safety issue. The multiple armings & disarmings seem like another safety concern; as it was happening too quickly and mistakes could have been made. The Passenger Bill of Rights could be at issue as well; since people were originally not allowed to leave the aircraft. The luggage removal and possibility of the aircraft tipping seems like a concern; especially if the flight had deviated to a location that could not have removed bags so we could provide egress.
Flight was delayed when a motorized scooter could not be loaded in the cargo hold. The owner of the scooter and family deplaned for a later flight.