Episode 12 X-Ray

The show that fights for your rights. If you've been ripped off...

We will battle it out on your behalf. You never checked the

vehicles when you sold them. We are here to fight your corner.

Tonight - the disabled air passengers manhandled by the company

It makes me feel cold even thinking about it and that's not

an experience that anyone should have to go through.

We meet the people paying for whacky ways to pop the question.

And the passport problems bringing travellers' holidays to a standstill

before they've even got on the plane!

We've got lots of good stories for you tonight.

First up, a special investigation by X-Ray viewer Mel Davies

into the company that's letting down disabled air travellers.

Each year, millions of passengers fly in and out of UK airports.

Most of the time, catching a flight is pretty straightforward -

we just check-in, jump on the plane and take to the skies.

But for disabled passengers, it's not always that simple.

Airports can be disorientating places at the best of times,

but if you're in a wheelchair, just making that journey

from check-in to departures can be a real challenge.

That's why all UK airports, by law, must provide free support to any

That service is known as special assistance.

And that's something I've come to rely on.

When I was younger, a motorbike accident left me paralysed

One silver lining was that the orthopaedic surgeon

who helped me recover later became my husband.

Now, the past few years haven't been easy for Mike and me -

our health hasn't been great and we've both undergone

So, last autumn we booked a holiday to Dubai -

Heathrow outsources its special assistance service to

It's a multi-million pound contract and Omniserv prides itself

In a people-centric business like this, where it's

all about the customer experience, training is key.

People are at the heart of our business.

And it's really the interactions with people that

Well, I'll certainly remember my experience

Mike managed to capture on his phone the moment,

on our return flight, when Omniserv staff tried

That was the sound of me being lifted up by my armpits.

That's no way to transfer a disabled person and it really hurt.

If you watch it back, you'll see that I've got my arms

That's because I'm expecting to be lifted underneath my

That's how it should be done But outside the aircraft,

And then the Omniserve staff - who are supposed to stay with me

until I don't need help any more - abandon us.

In the end, the cabin crew intervene and offer to help.

We eventually catch up with one of the Omniserv agents

who was supposed to be helping us and I ask him what's going on.

For a moment, it looks like he might be coming back.

Looks like we're not going to have an explanation.

I complained to Heathrow about Omniserv's treatment of me.

The airport admitted they didn't get it right on this occasion

and that the Omniserv staff would be re-attending training.

The Civil Aviation Authority has received 170 complaints in the last

four years about Omniserv's special assistance service at Heathrow.

Jan Crispin's paralysed from the chest down.

Last September, she flew into Heathrow after a nine-hour

The crew said, "We're just waiting for special assistance

So we waited and we waited and we waited.

An hour and a half later, Omniserve staff finally turned up

Once again, lifting her was a disaster!

He went to put his hands under my armpits, which really

is not the way to pick up a person with a spinal injury.

He ended up with one arm round my stomach and he still really

wasn't taking on the advice we were giving him.

In the end, Jan's carer had to take over and help her out of the seat.

It had taken Omniserv so long to get Jan off the plane that by the time

she made her way to the baggage reclaim area the doors were locked.

I wanted to cry, I was so tired and so worn down by it all.

Is two weeks' holiday worth all this aggravation?

Heathrow Airport apologised to Jan, confirming - yet again -

that Omniserve didn't get it right on this occasion.

But other airports use the company, too.

Later in the programme, I'll be taking a trip to Scotland

to meet one passenger whose experience of Omniserv has

I really strongly feel that I will not fly on my own ever again.

And I find myself back at Heathrow, where I experience another

We'll have more on Mel's shocking investigation later.

And if you're unhappy with the way a company's treated you,

why travellers are being turned away from their flights -

I looked at her in disbelief, I was in shock.

Now, love is in the air because tomorrow, of course,

And a time when many of us choose to pop the question.

Where better to do that than somewhere really romantic -

like here, outside Caerphilly Castle?

I wonder, what do the town's residents remember about that

He said, you're going to marry me or what?

And I said, this is silly, Why don't we just get married?

So, have you popped the question officially yet?

We were on a cruise ship in the Bahamas.

Ooh, that sounds very glamourous and romantic!

Oh, that sounds beautiful - and where were you?

You're a bit of a romantic, I can tell.

No, at the time it was just the first day I could get off work.

So when she said no the first time, second time you were

She looked at me and said, you must be mad!

Couldn't tell anybody - on the telly!

Well, it seems like there are some romantics here in Caerphilly.

Omar's been looking at new ways to ask that all-important question!

Between finding the one and shelling out on a fairytale wedding,

you have to decide when, where and how to pop the question.

It was once a private affair - but more and more, couples

are choosing to broadcast it to the world.

From flash mobs to choirs, wacky proposals seem to be

It's not just about something that you've done the two

of you quietly together, it's something that you share

And that's really what people are doing now and that's

But what's wrong with keeping it classic?

Down on one knee, holding out a rose, gazing into her eyes...

I've never met an old couple who say, we're very in love

but I just wish you'd hired a proposal planner

But plenty of people ARE shelling out for experts to organise every

Adam Jenkins, from Neath, thought it was worth a try -

after his own failed attempt to propose to girlfriend

I parked the car by the side of the road and just went

for a walk in the snow with the Northern Lights all around.

It was awesome, but it just wasn't good enough, so I didn't do it.

Adam decided he needed help - and ended up here,

at the London offices of a proposal planning company.

I've come to find out how it all works.

Is part of this guys who love women in their lives but don't know quite

There are two types of guys that come to us -

the time-poor guys that want to do something really cool but just don't

have the time to do it because it very time consuming -

Or we have the uncreative guys who want to be creative,

they want to do something really cool, but they just don't have that

in them, to think outside the box a little bit,

so that's why they come to us and we think for them.

On average, Daisy's customers fork out ?2,000 -

But wedding planner Zoe thinks you don't have to break the bank.

I'd be lying to say there wasn't an element of keeping

If you want to do something a bit more exciting, a grand gesture,

you can still do that without spending

Leanne Lewis, from Cardiff, did just that.

She rounded up her friends and family to dance in the street -

it didn't cost a penny, and girlfriend Lowri said yes.

But paying a professional to take away the stress appealed to Adam.

He and Keri love London - and music - so the proposal

company combined the two, here at Paddington station.

What Keri didn't realise was those innocent-looking buskers

They were playing songs that I really liked,

He handed me the CD - there was a picture of myself

and Adam on holidays on the front cover and I was just

Didn't know really what was going on.

Time sort of stood still for a minute and then the two

singers turned round and they had "Keri, marry me" on the back

And in September, Adam and Keri tied the knot.

Their proposal at Paddington set them back a whopping ?1,600 -

so was the experience really worth all that cash?

I was definitely a celebrity in Paddington that day.

Do you feel like you got value for money?

Ah, brilliant that it all worked out for Adam and Kerry in the end!

They even had an amazing honeymoon, too.

And of course, anyone jetting off abroad needs one of these.

But even this doesn't guarantee a smooth journey,

There's nothing better than flying off on a foreign holiday.

Surely everything you'll need for your hols.

But even with a valid passport, there's no guarantee

that your holiday will ever get off the ground.

At the beginning of January, midwife Emma Ford from Cardiff

was searching online for a break in the winter sun with her two

So I was really looking forward to just getting

We found a deal online for Bali, we found out it was quite

The girls phoned travel website The Flights Guru and made a booking

Emma says there was no mention of her passport by the sales rep,

but it was a very different story once she arrived at the airport.

The lady at the desk said, who's Emma?

You need to have six months left to be able to fly.

There's less than six months on your passport.

And I just looked at her in disbelief, I was in shock.

Even though Emma's passport expired in March, Indonesia's immigration

rules stated that it had to be valid for six months.

With no time to get a new passport, bang went Emma's break to Bali!

Well, I was crying when I had to wave them off through the security

and I just didn't know what to do then.

I was in the airport and I didn't know what to do with myself.

I just felt stranded and alone really.

Travel expert Simon Calder says this is an all-too-familiar problem!

I'm really sorry to say I get stories like Emma's

And it's always the traveller's responsibility, which is why travel

agents can just turn around, as can airlines and say, "Look,

we told you what the rules were, or at least our terms and conditions

said you've got to sort yourself out.

In the European Union, United States, and Australia,

your passport only needs to be valid for the length of your stay.

But for more than 100 countries and territories,

your passport has to be valid for at least six months Emma didn't

spot this information in an email from the travel company

So if in doubt just renew your passport, say the experts.

If it's any time within the next nine months and you're not planning

to travel in the next couple of weeks, get it renewed right away.

Advice that Emma wishes she'd had as her travel insurance

All she can do now is speak to her friends in Bali to see

It's just a really surreal feeling that I should actually be

Well, the travel agent Emma booked with, The Flights Guru, say

they are sorry to hear about her experience but point out

that it's the traveller's responsibility to make sure

they have the correct documentation, which includes visas and passport.

They also sent her emails to remind her of this.

However, they have now agreed to look at verbally

reminding customers at the time of booking.

And as a gesture of goodwill they're now going to refund

the cost of Emma's air fare which is almost ?400!

If you live in South-east Wales, beware if you're phoned by Tracey

People are been told they've paid too much council tax.

They're asked for ?69 to get their money back.

How do you feel about paying to spend a penny?

Well, campaigners from the British Toilet Association

insist it's the only way to stop public loos from going down the pan!

In the last three years, more than a 100 in Wales have been

closed due to council cuts and lack of use.

And there are just two weeks to go until new rules for children's car

Theres a ban on backless booster seats being sold for children

But if you already have one you can use it for kids over 15kg.

Now, it's back to our special investigation by X-Ray viewer

Mel Davies into the shocking treatment experienced by some

It was meant to be our dream holiday.

But when I think of it now, I just remember the pain

By law, all UK airports have to provide support

But at Heathrow, I was lifted by my armpits and then

abandoned by the very people who were being paid to help me.

When I asked for an explanation, I was simply ignored.

Heathrow uses a company called Omniserv to provide special

But I've found out that in the last four years

the Civil Aviation Authority has received 170 complaints about that

It's also had 12 complaints about provision at Edinburgh airport -

Omniserv's been operating there for less than a year.

I've heard from one Scottish passenger who's been badly let down

by Omniserv - and she's agreed to talk to me about her experiences.

I'd be flying from Heathrow to Edinburgh, so I'd be relying

on Omniserv's help at every stage of that journey.

I've got to admit - I was pretty apprehensive.

And, as it turned out, I had every reason to be.

My husband took out his phone and managed to capture the moment

at Heathrow when I was lifted into the plane's wheelchair

Look at where his hands are on my body.

He didn't even wait for me to cross my arms.

He lifted me by my chest - and as someone's who's had

surgery for breast cancer, I found it painful and upsetting.

And do his hands really need to linger there?

But when I arrived at Edinburgh airport, it all went smoothly.

So why can't I rely on the same quality of service at both

I finally made it to the city centre to meet Heather McQueen,

Last summer, she booked a flight from Edinburgh to Birmingham,

where she was due to attend a conference run by the MS Society.

It's the first time I've ever flown on my own anywhere.

So I was totally reliant on the special services

Heather checked in and sat at a special waiting area.

Omniserv staff told her she'd be collected and taken

I'm sitting there and I'm getting quite agitated now

because I'm thinking, "I'm going to miss my flight," even

I've not been through security, I have to get to the gate,

I have to board and I'm getting boarded by a lift,

When she was finally collected by Omniserv, it was too late.

Heather was booked onto the next available flight.

But that was delayed, so she spent many more hours sitting

I can't go to the toilets, what can I do with all this stuff?

I was worried if I got out of the chair and used my stick,

what if somebody came for me and the chair was empty?

They would think, "Oh, she's made her own way"

Heather eventually made it onto the flight, but the whole

I had to increase my pain meds the following day because any form

of sitting for any length of time causes pain.

So how did the whole experience make you feel?

I really strongly feel that I will not fly on my own ever again.

I don't want to have to rely on Omniserv

Heather complained to both Omniserv and Edinburgh

airport who both admitted that her experience

But it also breached guidelines issued to all airports

Those guidelines state: "Staff should stay with a disabled person

or passenger with reduced mobility at all times and until

the assistance is no longer needed by the passenger."

Back home in Wales, I thought more about my flight to Edinburgh -

particularly how I was lifted from my chair at Heathrow airport.

So I sent that footage to a fellow wheelchair user to see

Tanni Grey Thompson may be a peer in the House of Lords,

but she's faced plenty of problems herself at UK airports.

And my dealings with Omniserv definitely struck a chord with her.

If somebody needs help being transferred, the absolute

basic thing you should do is ask how a person wants to be lifted.

So to actually grab somebody under the arms, especially a woman,

and grab them in the chest area is just absolutely horrible.

It makes me feel cold even thinking about it.

And that's not an experience anyone should have to go through.

And that's in stark contrast to how Omniserv sees its special

In a people-centric business like this where it's all

about the customer experience, training is key.

It's pretty much a standard line for any company in the service

industry to say that customer care is really important to them

But, you know, cases like this are showing that that is not

the practice that's happening on the ground.

So those companies really need to take account of how disabled

people are treated and really think about whether they would find it

acceptable to be treated or spoken to like that themselves.

Disabled people have the same right to fly as anybody else.

But my experiences with Omniserv have shown me another

And I'm left worrying about how I'll be treated

the next time I fly, if I fly at all.

An awful experience for Mel there and the other passengers

We contacted Heathrow and Edinburgh airports,

Heathrow told us they're "deeply concerned" at what happened with Mel

and Jan, who we saw earlier, and once again they apologised

And both airports say they're working hard to improve the journeys

As for Omniserv, they said they also echo the statement made by Heathrow.

But they didn't answer any of the specific

They wouldn't explain why Mel, Jan and Heather's journeys

Nor would they tell us why some of their staff are failing to lift

And they wouldn't comment on why the quality of assistance

Well, Dr Natasha Hirst is from Disability Wales.

The treatment that Mel and those other passengers had

Companies like Omniserv make millions from a service that they're

supposed to be providing and they're not providing a service

The staff who've apparently been trained don't even consider the fact

that perhaps they should just ask the person what is it

And if a disabled person has a bad experience at an airport

If you're not happy with the response you get

there you can also complain to the Civil Aviation Authority.

It's their remit to enforce the rights of consumers,

including disabled people, when they're not experiencing

And it's really important that people take their complaints forward

because otherwise operators will just allow poor

And that's if for this week, but remember, if there's anything

you want us to look into, please get in touch the contact details

Next week - the airport parking companies taking customers

Dreadful driving for a professional driver.

And next week, because of the football, we're on at the same

time but a different day - Friday instead of Monday.