94-year-old disabled woman was ‘kicked out of her business class seat’

||| Marianne Santos / Twitter |||

Another horror story involving the alleged poor service and insensitivity of United Airlines has been circulating on social media.

The incident involved another Asian, and also elderly at 94 years old and disabled at that, who was allegedly forced out of business class and downgraded to an economy by the controversial airline because the staff refused to help her with her needs.

The family of Filipina Paz Orquiza wanted to ensure her safety and comfort so they bought her an expensive business class ticket from Los Angeles to her home in Melbourne, Australia worth around $3,000. The old woman has severe arthritis and a degenerative bone condition in her neck.

Ariza's granddaughter, Marianne Santos Aguilar, told The Sun that United Airlines staff would not allow the elderly's daughter Rose, who was traveling with her but was on the cheaper economy class, to help Orquiza on a business class section, but the staff refused to attend to the old lady's needs either. Instead, Rose was forced to move her sickly mother to economy class even if she was booked for business class, so she could take care of her mother there.

Aguilar shared the horror story last month on her Facebook account, where she also expressed her strong anger against United Airlines for the suffering they made her 94-year-old grandmother go through.

Aguilar said her grandmother cried during the flight. Her aunt Rose was horrified with what her own mother had to endure for the long flight. Aguilar also shared that Ariza's legs had become swollen when they arrived in Australia. She also suffered from stiff neck and her body ached all over.

The granddaughter is aware that the now infamous airline violated the Air Carrier Access Act which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in air travel and requires air carriers to accommodate the needs of passengers with disabilities.

Orquiza was given around $430 in travel vouchers, something her family says they are not interested in using. UA also gave a refund of around $730. The compensation mean nothing for the family for what their beloved elderly member endured. Aguilar said her grandmother is still in great distress and pain from the ordeal.

Another passenger told Rose that her mother's seat was given to another passenger who was willing to pay extra to be upgraded to business class.

Aguilar concluded that humanity and compassion are sorely lacking in the airline, who she said only care about their bottom line.

This new revelation comes just as the embattled airline is still reeling from global condemnation and falling stocks for violently dragging a 69- year old pass from his seat across the aisle when he refused to give up his paid seat for the sake of an airline employee who wanted to board his flight from Chicago to Kentucky on Sunday. The airline through its CEO Oscar Munoz initially blamed Dr. David Dao, a Vietnamese-American doctor specializing in internal medicine, for being "disruptive" and "belligerent". After the strong public backlash, however, the airline apologized to Dao, his family, other passengers on the same flight and to the public. It also offered to give reimbursement to all passengers on the flight.