"Stressed" Southsea pensioner suffers stroke and goes blind in one eye after being denied on flight from India
The pensioner suffered a medical episode in India and had to sleep on a chair by check-in
A Southsea pensioner suffered a stroke and went blind in one eye after being left “incredibly stressed” when denied on a flight home from India she had paid for.
Artist Kay Harris, 78, was due to travel back from Dabolim Airport in Goa in February when she was refused on a Gulf Air plane following a discrepancy with her Indian visa she understood had been resolved.
The airline, which brands itself as being in a “class of our own”, then refused to offer Kay any help - leaving her to sleep on a plastic chair near the check-in area before she was forced to pay for another flight home the following day.
The mix-up began when Kay checked in at Gatwick last November to fly to Goa when a discrepancy was spotted with her Indian visa. As a result, she was forced to rebook on a later flight after this had been sorted out.
But, Kay insists, Gulf Air promised her that the return section of her ticket would still be valid. Check-in staff assured her that as she had turned up at the airport to catch the original flight she would not be classed as a “no-show”.
She said Gulf Air customer service repeatedly told her she had nothing to worry about. “They confirmed the return ticket would be in order and there was no need to worry,” Kay said.
“My mistake was that I was only told this and did not have an email to confirm it. The person I spoke to was so certain about it.”
But when Kay tried to board her flight home she was left stunned when she was denied on board. Kay was told her ticket had been cancelled, that she had to buy a new one costing several hundred pounds and was informed the flight she thought she was booked on was now full.
There were seats in business class, but despite the circumstances and her age, they refused to upgrade her. “Even in my state and at my age of 78 they did not help me. They said all I could do was book a hotel and get a flight the next day,” Kay said
“I went into shock as I was meant to be at home the next day. I found it incredibly stressful.”
Since arriving home, she has been unable to get any response from Gulf Air, with all her emails ignored. “I’ve tried to get through to them but I’ve had no contact from them. If this has happened to me then it will have happened to other people,” Kay said.
Speaking of her stroke, Kay, who is still receiving treatment, said: “I went to the doctors as my face was asymmetrical with the left hand side dropped down and I unable to see in one eye. The doctor thought I’d suffered a minor stroke.
“I still can’t recognise faces of people in the street but it seems to be coming back slightly. I haven’t felt right since it all happened with all the shock and stress. I feel like I’ve aged.”
Gulf Air has been approached for comment.