Frontier Airlines returns missing wheelchair to paralyzed Florida man who went without it for 3 days
ORLANDO, Fla. - An air passenger who is paralyzed from the waist down said Frontier Airlines finally delivered his wheelchair to him at 9:30 Friday morning after it went missing on Monday during his flight between Orlando and Atlanta.
"I felt relieved for sure," said Asuanti Forner.
Foner is back in action after Frontier Airlines delivered his wheelchair from the Atlanta airport. The shipping labels were still attached. On Thursday, the 27-year-old showed FOX 35 News how he had to crawl around his home for three days, as he waited for the airline to find his custom-made chair.
"[I'm] smiling, now that I can be more independent," he told us.
FOX 35 viewer, Brian Johnson watched our report on Forner’s missing chair on Thursday night.
"My initial reaction was, ‘Hey, that same thing just happened to us less than a month ago!'" Johnson explained.
RELATED: Paralyzed Florida man says Frontier Airlines lost his wheelchair: 'Didn’t tell me anything'
He said Frontier also lost his stepson’s wheelchair on a flight from Orlando to Syracuse recently. He added that the 16-year-old got it back after three days.
"They never gave us a reason why it was lost. They didn’t even apologize," he said.
Frontier Airlines released a statement, which read, "We take this situation very seriously. We strive to provide a positive customer experience. We regret any inconvenience."
"It’s heartbreaking to hear this story once, but we hear this story almost every day. This is happening everywhere across the world," said Michele Erwin, the founder of a group called All Wheels Up, which advocates for wheelchair-accessible air travel.
Erwin said this is a common problem with many airlines and has been working to get legislation, to prevent situations like Forner's.
"Making sure the people doing the work are trained and take it seriously."
The Better Business Bureau said Frontier has an F rating for failing to respond to consumer complaints.
Forner said he is glad Frontier rushed his wheelchair back to him after FOX 35 contacted the airline, but he’s concerned it will continue to happen to others like him.
"I’d like to see Frontier fix their process. "
Frontier Airlines also issued Forner a voucher for future travel. However, he said he doesn’t plan to use it.