:00:16. > :00:27.The show that fights for your rights. If you've been ripped off...
:00:28. > :00:36.We will battle it out on your behalf. You never checked the
:00:37. > :00:46.vehicles when you sold them. We are here to fight your corner.
:00:47. > :00:49.Tonight - the disabled air passengers manhandled by the company
:00:50. > :00:56.It makes me feel cold even thinking about it and that's not
:00:57. > :01:00.an experience that anyone should have to go through.
:01:01. > :01:06.We meet the people paying for whacky ways to pop the question.
:01:07. > :01:16.And the passport problems bringing travellers' holidays to a standstill
:01:17. > :01:24.before they've even got on the plane!
:01:25. > :01:31.We've got lots of good stories for you tonight.
:01:32. > :01:34.First up, a special investigation by X-Ray viewer Mel Davies
:01:35. > :01:43.into the company that's letting down disabled air travellers.
:01:44. > :01:47.Each year, millions of passengers fly in and out of UK airports.
:01:48. > :01:52.Most of the time, catching a flight is pretty straightforward -
:01:53. > :01:56.we just check-in, jump on the plane and take to the skies.
:01:57. > :02:01.But for disabled passengers, it's not always that simple.
:02:02. > :02:05.Airports can be disorientating places at the best of times,
:02:06. > :02:08.but if you're in a wheelchair, just making that journey
:02:09. > :02:13.from check-in to departures can be a real challenge.
:02:14. > :02:16.That's why all UK airports, by law, must provide free support to any
:02:17. > :02:26.That service is known as special assistance.
:02:27. > :02:28.And that's something I've come to rely on.
:02:29. > :02:31.When I was younger, a motorbike accident left me paralysed
:02:32. > :02:35.One silver lining was that the orthopaedic surgeon
:02:36. > :02:40.who helped me recover later became my husband.
:02:41. > :02:43.Now, the past few years haven't been easy for Mike and me -
:02:44. > :02:45.our health hasn't been great and we've both undergone
:02:46. > :02:50.So, last autumn we booked a holiday to Dubai -
:02:51. > :03:00.Heathrow outsources its special assistance service to
:03:01. > :03:05.It's a multi-million pound contract and Omniserv prides itself
:03:06. > :03:12.In a people-centric business like this, where it's
:03:13. > :03:16.all about the customer experience, training is key.
:03:17. > :03:18.People are at the heart of our business.
:03:19. > :03:20.And it's really the interactions with people that
:03:21. > :03:25.Well, I'll certainly remember my experience
:03:26. > :03:30.Mike managed to capture on his phone the moment,
:03:31. > :03:33.on our return flight, when Omniserv staff tried
:03:34. > :03:41.That was the sound of me being lifted up by my armpits.
:03:42. > :03:47.That's no way to transfer a disabled person and it really hurt.
:03:48. > :03:50.If you watch it back, you'll see that I've got my arms
:03:51. > :03:55.That's because I'm expecting to be lifted underneath my
:03:56. > :03:59.That's how it should be done But outside the aircraft,
:04:00. > :04:10.And then the Omniserve staff - who are supposed to stay with me
:04:11. > :04:13.until I don't need help any more - abandon us.
:04:14. > :04:16.In the end, the cabin crew intervene and offer to help.
:04:17. > :04:23.We eventually catch up with one of the Omniserv agents
:04:24. > :04:26.who was supposed to be helping us and I ask him what's going on.
:04:27. > :04:43.For a moment, it looks like he might be coming back.
:04:44. > :04:54.Looks like we're not going to have an explanation.
:04:55. > :04:57.I complained to Heathrow about Omniserv's treatment of me.
:04:58. > :05:01.The airport admitted they didn't get it right on this occasion
:05:02. > :05:08.and that the Omniserv staff would be re-attending training.
:05:09. > :05:15.The Civil Aviation Authority has received 170 complaints in the last
:05:16. > :05:19.four years about Omniserv's special assistance service at Heathrow.
:05:20. > :05:25.Jan Crispin's paralysed from the chest down.
:05:26. > :05:29.Last September, she flew into Heathrow after a nine-hour
:05:30. > :05:34.The crew said, "We're just waiting for special assistance
:05:35. > :05:47.So we waited and we waited and we waited.
:05:48. > :05:50.An hour and a half later, Omniserve staff finally turned up
:05:51. > :05:58.Once again, lifting her was a disaster!
:05:59. > :06:02.He went to put his hands under my armpits, which really
:06:03. > :06:10.is not the way to pick up a person with a spinal injury.
:06:11. > :06:16.He ended up with one arm round my stomach and he still really
:06:17. > :06:23.wasn't taking on the advice we were giving him.
:06:24. > :06:26.In the end, Jan's carer had to take over and help her out of the seat.
:06:27. > :06:31.It had taken Omniserv so long to get Jan off the plane that by the time
:06:32. > :06:36.she made her way to the baggage reclaim area the doors were locked.
:06:37. > :06:44.I wanted to cry, I was so tired and so worn down by it all.
:06:45. > :06:52.Is two weeks' holiday worth all this aggravation?
:06:53. > :06:56.Heathrow Airport apologised to Jan, confirming - yet again -
:06:57. > :07:01.that Omniserve didn't get it right on this occasion.
:07:02. > :07:05.But other airports use the company, too.
:07:06. > :07:07.Later in the programme, I'll be taking a trip to Scotland
:07:08. > :07:10.to meet one passenger whose experience of Omniserv has
:07:11. > :07:19.I really strongly feel that I will not fly on my own ever again.
:07:20. > :07:22.And I find myself back at Heathrow, where I experience another
:07:23. > :07:33.We'll have more on Mel's shocking investigation later.
:07:34. > :07:36.And if you're unhappy with the way a company's treated you,
:07:37. > :07:55.why travellers are being turned away from their flights -
:07:56. > :08:00.I looked at her in disbelief, I was in shock.
:08:01. > :08:07.Now, love is in the air because tomorrow, of course,
:08:08. > :08:13.And a time when many of us choose to pop the question.
:08:14. > :08:16.Where better to do that than somewhere really romantic -
:08:17. > :08:24.like here, outside Caerphilly Castle?
:08:25. > :08:28.I wonder, what do the town's residents remember about that
:08:29. > :08:31.He said, you're going to marry me or what?
:08:32. > :08:37.And I said, this is silly, Why don't we just get married?
:08:38. > :08:39.So, have you popped the question officially yet?
:08:40. > :08:42.We were on a cruise ship in the Bahamas.
:08:43. > :08:44.Ooh, that sounds very glamourous and romantic!
:08:45. > :08:49.Oh, that sounds beautiful - and where were you?
:08:50. > :08:56.You're a bit of a romantic, I can tell.
:08:57. > :09:00.No, at the time it was just the first day I could get off work.
:09:01. > :09:03.So when she said no the first time, second time you were
:09:04. > :09:08.She looked at me and said, you must be mad!
:09:09. > :09:14.Couldn't tell anybody - on the telly!
:09:15. > :09:18.Well, it seems like there are some romantics here in Caerphilly.
:09:19. > :09:31.Omar's been looking at new ways to ask that all-important question!
:09:32. > :09:39.Between finding the one and shelling out on a fairytale wedding,
:09:40. > :09:42.you have to decide when, where and how to pop the question.
:09:43. > :09:46.It was once a private affair - but more and more, couples
:09:47. > :09:48.are choosing to broadcast it to the world.
:09:49. > :09:53.From flash mobs to choirs, wacky proposals seem to be
:09:54. > :10:00.It's not just about something that you've done the two
:10:01. > :10:02.of you quietly together, it's something that you share
:10:03. > :10:08.And that's really what people are doing now and that's
:10:09. > :10:16.But what's wrong with keeping it classic?
:10:17. > :10:19.Down on one knee, holding out a rose, gazing into her eyes...
:10:20. > :10:22.I've never met an old couple who say, we're very in love
:10:23. > :10:24.but I just wish you'd hired a proposal planner
:10:25. > :10:31.But plenty of people ARE shelling out for experts to organise every
:10:32. > :10:39.Adam Jenkins, from Neath, thought it was worth a try -
:10:40. > :10:41.after his own failed attempt to propose to girlfriend
:10:42. > :10:46.I parked the car by the side of the road and just went
:10:47. > :10:49.for a walk in the snow with the Northern Lights all around.
:10:50. > :10:56.It was awesome, but it just wasn't good enough, so I didn't do it.
:10:57. > :11:06.Adam decided he needed help - and ended up here,
:11:07. > :11:10.at the London offices of a proposal planning company.
:11:11. > :11:12.I've come to find out how it all works.
:11:13. > :11:19.Is part of this guys who love women in their lives but don't know quite
:11:20. > :11:28.There are two types of guys that come to us -
:11:29. > :11:31.the time-poor guys that want to do something really cool but just don't
:11:32. > :11:34.have the time to do it because it very time consuming -
:11:35. > :11:38.Or we have the uncreative guys who want to be creative,
:11:39. > :11:41.they want to do something really cool, but they just don't have that
:11:42. > :11:43.in them, to think outside the box a little bit,
:11:44. > :11:46.so that's why they come to us and we think for them.
:11:47. > :11:50.On average, Daisy's customers fork out ?2,000 -
:11:51. > :11:59.But wedding planner Zoe thinks you don't have to break the bank.
:12:00. > :12:02.I'd be lying to say there wasn't an element of keeping
:12:03. > :12:06.If you want to do something a bit more exciting, a grand gesture,
:12:07. > :12:08.you can still do that without spending
:12:09. > :12:11.Leanne Lewis, from Cardiff, did just that.
:12:12. > :12:14.She rounded up her friends and family to dance in the street -
:12:15. > :12:16.it didn't cost a penny, and girlfriend Lowri said yes.
:12:17. > :12:24.But paying a professional to take away the stress appealed to Adam.
:12:25. > :12:27.He and Keri love London - and music - so the proposal
:12:28. > :12:33.company combined the two, here at Paddington station.
:12:34. > :12:39.What Keri didn't realise was those innocent-looking buskers
:12:40. > :12:45.They were playing songs that I really liked,
:12:46. > :12:51.He handed me the CD - there was a picture of myself
:12:52. > :12:54.and Adam on holidays on the front cover and I was just
:12:55. > :12:57.Didn't know really what was going on.
:12:58. > :13:00.Time sort of stood still for a minute and then the two
:13:01. > :13:05.singers turned round and they had "Keri, marry me" on the back
:13:06. > :13:18.And in September, Adam and Keri tied the knot.
:13:19. > :13:23.Their proposal at Paddington set them back a whopping ?1,600 -
:13:24. > :13:27.so was the experience really worth all that cash?
:13:28. > :13:30.I was definitely a celebrity in Paddington that day.
:13:31. > :13:32.Do you feel like you got value for money?
:13:33. > :13:45.Ah, brilliant that it all worked out for Adam and Kerry in the end!
:13:46. > :13:50.They even had an amazing honeymoon, too.
:13:51. > :13:59.And of course, anyone jetting off abroad needs one of these.
:14:00. > :14:00.But even this doesn't guarantee a smooth journey,
:14:01. > :14:09.There's nothing better than flying off on a foreign holiday.
:14:10. > :14:20.Surely everything you'll need for your hols.
:14:21. > :14:24.But even with a valid passport, there's no guarantee
:14:25. > :14:31.that your holiday will ever get off the ground.
:14:32. > :14:34.At the beginning of January, midwife Emma Ford from Cardiff
:14:35. > :14:38.was searching online for a break in the winter sun with her two
:14:39. > :14:44.So I was really looking forward to just getting
:14:45. > :14:49.We found a deal online for Bali, we found out it was quite
:14:50. > :14:55.The girls phoned travel website The Flights Guru and made a booking
:14:56. > :15:02.Emma says there was no mention of her passport by the sales rep,
:15:03. > :15:05.but it was a very different story once she arrived at the airport.
:15:06. > :15:07.The lady at the desk said, who's Emma?
:15:08. > :15:15.You need to have six months left to be able to fly.
:15:16. > :15:16.There's less than six months on your passport.
:15:17. > :15:19.And I just looked at her in disbelief, I was in shock.
:15:20. > :15:33.Even though Emma's passport expired in March, Indonesia's immigration
:15:34. > :15:40.rules stated that it had to be valid for six months.
:15:41. > :15:49.With no time to get a new passport, bang went Emma's break to Bali!
:15:50. > :15:58.Well, I was crying when I had to wave them off through the security
:15:59. > :16:00.and I just didn't know what to do then.
:16:01. > :16:07.I was in the airport and I didn't know what to do with myself.
:16:08. > :16:16.I just felt stranded and alone really.
:16:17. > :16:19.Travel expert Simon Calder says this is an all-too-familiar problem!
:16:20. > :16:22.I'm really sorry to say I get stories like Emma's
:16:23. > :16:31.And it's always the traveller's responsibility, which is why travel
:16:32. > :16:34.agents can just turn around, as can airlines and say, "Look,
:16:35. > :16:38.we told you what the rules were, or at least our terms and conditions
:16:39. > :16:40.said you've got to sort yourself out.
:16:41. > :16:51.In the European Union, United States, and Australia,
:16:52. > :16:54.your passport only needs to be valid for the length of your stay.
:16:55. > :16:56.But for more than 100 countries and territories,
:16:57. > :16:59.your passport has to be valid for at least six months Emma didn't
:17:00. > :17:01.spot this information in an email from the travel company
:17:02. > :17:11.So if in doubt just renew your passport, say the experts.
:17:12. > :17:16.If it's any time within the next nine months and you're not planning
:17:17. > :17:21.to travel in the next couple of weeks, get it renewed right away.
:17:22. > :17:27.Advice that Emma wishes she'd had as her travel insurance
:17:28. > :17:33.All she can do now is speak to her friends in Bali to see
:17:34. > :17:43.It's just a really surreal feeling that I should actually be
:17:44. > :17:49.Well, the travel agent Emma booked with, The Flights Guru, say
:17:50. > :17:51.they are sorry to hear about her experience but point out
:17:52. > :17:53.that it's the traveller's responsibility to make sure
:17:54. > :17:58.they have the correct documentation, which includes visas and passport.
:17:59. > :18:01.They also sent her emails to remind her of this.
:18:02. > :18:03.However, they have now agreed to look at verbally
:18:04. > :18:08.reminding customers at the time of booking.
:18:09. > :18:10.And as a gesture of goodwill they're now going to refund
:18:11. > :18:17.the cost of Emma's air fare which is almost ?400!
:18:18. > :18:32.If you live in South-east Wales, beware if you're phoned by Tracey
:18:33. > :18:37.People are been told they've paid too much council tax.
:18:38. > :18:39.They're asked for ?69 to get their money back.
:18:40. > :18:48.How do you feel about paying to spend a penny?
:18:49. > :18:49.Well, campaigners from the British Toilet Association
:18:50. > :18:53.insist it's the only way to stop public loos from going down the pan!
:18:54. > :18:56.In the last three years, more than a 100 in Wales have been
:18:57. > :19:04.closed due to council cuts and lack of use.
:19:05. > :19:07.And there are just two weeks to go until new rules for children's car
:19:08. > :19:11.Theres a ban on backless booster seats being sold for children
:19:12. > :19:16.But if you already have one you can use it for kids over 15kg.
:19:17. > :19:33.Now, it's back to our special investigation by X-Ray viewer
:19:34. > :19:35.Mel Davies into the shocking treatment experienced by some
:19:36. > :19:43.It was meant to be our dream holiday.
:19:44. > :19:46.But when I think of it now, I just remember the pain
:19:47. > :19:51.By law, all UK airports have to provide support
:19:52. > :19:57.But at Heathrow, I was lifted by my armpits and then
:19:58. > :20:00.abandoned by the very people who were being paid to help me.
:20:01. > :20:06.When I asked for an explanation, I was simply ignored.
:20:07. > :20:08.Heathrow uses a company called Omniserv to provide special
:20:09. > :20:19.But I've found out that in the last four years
:20:20. > :20:21.the Civil Aviation Authority has received 170 complaints about that
:20:22. > :20:29.It's also had 12 complaints about provision at Edinburgh airport -
:20:30. > :20:36.Omniserv's been operating there for less than a year.
:20:37. > :20:38.I've heard from one Scottish passenger who's been badly let down
:20:39. > :20:41.by Omniserv - and she's agreed to talk to me about her experiences.
:20:42. > :20:51.I'd be flying from Heathrow to Edinburgh, so I'd be relying
:20:52. > :20:55.on Omniserv's help at every stage of that journey.
:20:56. > :20:57.I've got to admit - I was pretty apprehensive.
:20:58. > :21:04.And, as it turned out, I had every reason to be.
:21:05. > :21:07.My husband took out his phone and managed to capture the moment
:21:08. > :21:09.at Heathrow when I was lifted into the plane's wheelchair
:21:10. > :21:15.Look at where his hands are on my body.
:21:16. > :21:17.He didn't even wait for me to cross my arms.
:21:18. > :21:20.He lifted me by my chest - and as someone's who's had
:21:21. > :21:25.surgery for breast cancer, I found it painful and upsetting.
:21:26. > :21:32.And do his hands really need to linger there?
:21:33. > :21:34.But when I arrived at Edinburgh airport, it all went smoothly.
:21:35. > :21:37.So why can't I rely on the same quality of service at both
:21:38. > :21:48.I finally made it to the city centre to meet Heather McQueen,
:21:49. > :21:52.Last summer, she booked a flight from Edinburgh to Birmingham,
:21:53. > :22:00.where she was due to attend a conference run by the MS Society.
:22:01. > :22:02.It's the first time I've ever flown on my own anywhere.
:22:03. > :22:04.So I was totally reliant on the special services
:22:05. > :22:12.Heather checked in and sat at a special waiting area.
:22:13. > :22:14.Omniserv staff told her she'd be collected and taken
:22:15. > :22:25.I'm sitting there and I'm getting quite agitated now
:22:26. > :22:27.because I'm thinking, "I'm going to miss my flight," even
:22:28. > :22:32.I've not been through security, I have to get to the gate,
:22:33. > :22:35.I have to board and I'm getting boarded by a lift,
:22:36. > :22:40.When she was finally collected by Omniserv, it was too late.
:22:41. > :22:48.Heather was booked onto the next available flight.
:22:49. > :22:50.But that was delayed, so she spent many more hours sitting
:22:51. > :22:57.I can't go to the toilets, what can I do with all this stuff?
:22:58. > :23:01.I was worried if I got out of the chair and used my stick,
:23:02. > :23:03.what if somebody came for me and the chair was empty?
:23:04. > :23:06.They would think, "Oh, she's made her own way"
:23:07. > :23:11.Heather eventually made it onto the flight, but the whole
:23:12. > :23:17.I had to increase my pain meds the following day because any form
:23:18. > :23:22.of sitting for any length of time causes pain.
:23:23. > :23:28.So how did the whole experience make you feel?
:23:29. > :23:31.I really strongly feel that I will not fly on my own ever again.
:23:32. > :23:33.I don't want to have to rely on Omniserv
:23:34. > :23:41.Heather complained to both Omniserv and Edinburgh
:23:42. > :23:42.airport who both admitted that her experience
:23:43. > :23:45.But it also breached guidelines issued to all airports
:23:46. > :23:54.Those guidelines state: "Staff should stay with a disabled person
:23:55. > :23:57.or passenger with reduced mobility at all times and until
:23:58. > :24:04.the assistance is no longer needed by the passenger."
:24:05. > :24:07.Back home in Wales, I thought more about my flight to Edinburgh -
:24:08. > :24:10.particularly how I was lifted from my chair at Heathrow airport.
:24:11. > :24:13.So I sent that footage to a fellow wheelchair user to see
:24:14. > :24:20.Tanni Grey Thompson may be a peer in the House of Lords,
:24:21. > :24:22.but she's faced plenty of problems herself at UK airports.
:24:23. > :24:31.And my dealings with Omniserv definitely struck a chord with her.
:24:32. > :24:33.If somebody needs help being transferred, the absolute
:24:34. > :24:37.basic thing you should do is ask how a person wants to be lifted.
:24:38. > :24:40.So to actually grab somebody under the arms, especially a woman,
:24:41. > :24:42.and grab them in the chest area is just absolutely horrible.
:24:43. > :24:44.It makes me feel cold even thinking about it.
:24:45. > :24:47.And that's not an experience anyone should have to go through.
:24:48. > :24:50.And that's in stark contrast to how Omniserv sees its special
:24:51. > :25:01.In a people-centric business like this where it's all
:25:02. > :25:05.about the customer experience, training is key.
:25:06. > :25:08.It's pretty much a standard line for any company in the service
:25:09. > :25:11.industry to say that customer care is really important to them
:25:12. > :25:15.But, you know, cases like this are showing that that is not
:25:16. > :25:17.the practice that's happening on the ground.
:25:18. > :25:19.So those companies really need to take account of how disabled
:25:20. > :25:22.people are treated and really think about whether they would find it
:25:23. > :25:25.acceptable to be treated or spoken to like that themselves.
:25:26. > :25:27.Disabled people have the same right to fly as anybody else.
:25:28. > :25:30.But my experiences with Omniserv have shown me another
:25:31. > :25:36.And I'm left worrying about how I'll be treated
:25:37. > :25:48.the next time I fly, if I fly at all.
:25:49. > :25:51.An awful experience for Mel there and the other passengers
:25:52. > :25:54.We contacted Heathrow and Edinburgh airports,
:25:55. > :25:57.Heathrow told us they're "deeply concerned" at what happened with Mel
:25:58. > :26:00.and Jan, who we saw earlier, and once again they apologised
:26:01. > :26:03.And both airports say they're working hard to improve the journeys
:26:04. > :26:09.As for Omniserv, they said they also echo the statement made by Heathrow.
:26:10. > :26:11.But they didn't answer any of the specific
:26:12. > :26:25.They wouldn't explain why Mel, Jan and Heather's journeys
:26:26. > :26:30.Nor would they tell us why some of their staff are failing to lift
:26:31. > :26:33.And they wouldn't comment on why the quality of assistance
:26:34. > :26:38.Well, Dr Natasha Hirst is from Disability Wales.
:26:39. > :26:42.The treatment that Mel and those other passengers had
:26:43. > :26:53.Companies like Omniserv make millions from a service that they're
:26:54. > :26:55.supposed to be providing and they're not providing a service
:26:56. > :27:02.The staff who've apparently been trained don't even consider the fact
:27:03. > :27:05.that perhaps they should just ask the person what is it
:27:06. > :27:16.And if a disabled person has a bad experience at an airport
:27:17. > :27:26.If you're not happy with the response you get
:27:27. > :27:28.there you can also complain to the Civil Aviation Authority.
:27:29. > :27:30.It's their remit to enforce the rights of consumers,
:27:31. > :27:32.including disabled people, when they're not experiencing
:27:33. > :27:38.And it's really important that people take their complaints forward
:27:39. > :27:40.because otherwise operators will just allow poor
:27:41. > :27:54.And that's if for this week, but remember, if there's anything
:27:55. > :27:58.you want us to look into, please get in touch the contact details
:27:59. > :28:04.Next week - the airport parking companies taking customers
:28:05. > :28:12.Dreadful driving for a professional driver.
:28:13. > :28:15.And next week, because of the football, we're on at the same
:28:16. > :28:22.time but a different day - Friday instead of Monday.