Tenerife
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A 24-year-old passenger from south Wales, has gone viral after alleging that she "feared for her life" on a flight from Tenerife following a girl’s holiday on the island, because she was “trapped” on the plane with broken air conditioning and suffered an asthma attack.
While the airline, Ryanair, contends that it made every effort to ensure she had medical assistance, Seaward is now seeking compensation.
On January 14th, Charlaine Seaward unknowingly boarded a plane that couldn't take off due to an air conditioning failure, and "after 45 minutes locked in the cabin, the stale air caused hyperventilation and an asthma attack," she claims.
Seaward states that when her inhaler "stopped working," she asked airline staff if she could leave the plane to "breathe fresh air." However, cabin crew said she couldn’t get off as disembarking posed a safety issue, and offered her a bottle of oxygen and a mask as an alternative.
"I really thought I was going to die," Charlaine said, as her asthma attack worsened, causing dizziness.
According to Ryanair, the crew called medical services who attended to Seaward and once recovered, she was allowed to fly, eventually receiving compensation for the delay of over three hours. However, she is now seeking compensation "for the terrifying experience on the flight.”
After the incident, Seaward posted an angry video on Facebook, warning people not to fly with the low-cost airline. She claimed that other terrified passengers also "feared for their lives" under similar conditions.
The airline confirmed the flight delay due to a "minor technical issue" and mentioned that, to "minimise inconvenience," passengers remained on board while engineers inspected the plane.
The airline argued that since doctors declared her fit to fly, and she chose to board the flight, Seaward is not entitled to a refund but is eligible for €261 compensation for the delay. Seaward, however, claims that she has only received £50.
