A disabled passenger says she had to crawl to her seat after a worker caused her to fall off her wheelchair
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- A passenger said a Qantas staff member caused her to fall from her wheelchair during boarding.
- "It was embarrassing, it was done in front of a whole plane of people," Nikita Bennett told 7News.
- Qantas said staff offered to help her to her seat, but Bennett declined assistance.
A Qantas passenger said she crawled along the aisle to her seat after a staff member caused her to fall from her wheelchair.
Nikita Bennett, who has cerebral palsy, was traveling home from Melbourne, Australia to the regional city of Mildura, on Tuesday.
There was a delay in bringing her a wheelchair at the gate despite making a request in advance, she told 7News.
When she finally boarded the flight, Bennett said the wheelchair was handled roughly by a Qantas worker and caused her to fall from it.
"He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself," she told the outlet.
Her sister, Sarah Bennett, who was traveling with her, told 7News: "He just starts pulling at Nikita, Nikita's saying, 'please stop, I'm falling off' and then he grabs her and she's saying, 'I'm in pain'."
After falling from her wheelchair Nikita Bennett said she dragged herself along the aisle to reach her seat, adding she was in "shock."
Qantas has apologized to Bennet for the incident, it said in a statement reported by NCA NewsWire, but added that she had refused assistance.
"Our team on board the flight was clearly saddened by the situation, apologized and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined," the statement read.
The incident comes in the same week as Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced he was stepping down two months early following a series of controversies.
The airline is being sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for selling tickets for flights that it already knew were canceled and misleading customers about refunds.
Joyce has also faced criticism for being awarded a $24 million package as he leaves after 15 years in charge. The airline has also come under fire for laying off 1,700 ground staff in 2020 in a move that may have breached Australia's Fair Work Act.
Qantas did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.