A Delta passenger says he was told TSA staff would arrive with guns to remove him from a plane after he asked to wait for his wheelchair
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- A passenger said Delta staff threatened him while he waited for his wheelchair to be brought to him.
- Cory Lee said he was told TSA staff with guns would arrive to remove him, per his Instagram post.
- Lee said he was eventually helped by a "very apologetic" member of the ground crew.
A passenger said a Delta flight attendant told him the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would "make him get off" a plane as he waited for his wheelchair.
Georgia-based blogger, Cory Lee, made the comments in an Instagram post. He was traveling from Santiago, Chile, to Atlanta when he says airline staff refused to bring his wheelchair to the door of the plane, according to The Independent, which reported the news.
Per the post, Lee said Delta staff "immediately got livid" after he refused to leave the plane until his wheelchair was delivered.
At one point during a video he shared of the reported incident, a person that appeared to be a flight crew member can be heard saying that the TSA, who would have "all their guns and stuff," would make him "get off the aircraft."
Lee said he had flown to the airport "hundreds of times" and staff had always brought his wheelchair to the door of the plane.
Lee's request fell under the Air Carrier Access Act, which he cited in the Instagram post. According to the act, airline staff are legally required to bring wheelchairs as close to the plane as possible and passengers are not required to get off until they do so.
The blogger said he was eventually helped by a "very apologetic" member of the ground staff who found a way to bring his wheelchair to the plane door.
A spokesperson for Delta told Insider: "The exchange in this video does not reflect the high standard of care Delta people aspire to every day. We are reviewing what occurred here and will follow up as appropriate with our people. Delta has reached out to this customer directly to hear more about what they experienced and to offer further apologies."
This is not the first time wheelchair users have complained of mistreatment while flying.
Many wheelchair users were caught up in the travel chaos last summer, reporting lost or damaged chairs and demeaning experiences while traveling.