Left Behind: What Happens When Airlines Fail Disabled or Elderly Passengers

With staffing shortages, weather delays, and an overstrained transportation system, even seasoned travelers can feel powerless when an airline mishandles a vulnerable passenger. But what happens when that passenger is a 92-year-old disabled Army veteran and the system built to protect him simply… doesn’t?

This is what happened on October 5, 2025, when my father, Dr. Stanley Majcher, a decorated veteran and retired physician, was left stranded, humiliated, and separated from his family during what should have been a routine American Airlines connection.

Raleigh → Charlotte

Before boarding, I told the First-Class attendant that my father required wheelchair assistance and that our connection was tight. She smiled and said she’d “do her best.”

But when the flight landed, “her best” turned out to mean forcing a 92-year-old man to wait until every single other passenger had deplaned - long after our connecting gate had started boarding.

I watched our connection, Flight AA 1502, taxi away as my father sat waiting in the front row, still trapped on board. When I ran to the new gate to explain, the gate agent looked at me flatly and said:

“We each have our own system. You can board without him if you’d like - you’re on time.”

In that moment, I realized we weren’t dealing with a delay. We were dealing with indifference.

I was still on the phone with the Executive Platinum desk, pleading with them to hold the plane, when it pushed back eight minutes early - stranding about a dozen connecting passengers, including my father.

By the time he finally deplaned, he was told to go to Customer Service to be rebooked. I watched him, frail and still in pain from travel, waiting for a wheelchair escort who said she needed to “find someone higher-up” before she could even take him to the restroom.

A kind staffer quietly leaned in and said, “They violated his rights under the Air Carrier Access Act. You need to file a complaint.”

Charlotte → Los Angeles

The rebooked flight was oversold. My father’s First-Class seat which he had paid for was reassigned, and he was moved to a middle seat in the back of the plane. My daughter and I were separated from him.

When I boarded, I recognized the same First-Class flight attendant from the earlier flight. Her badge was tucked away. When I asked her name, she refused to give it - twice and walked directly into the cockpit. Moments later, my partner was told that the captain was “verifying whether he could fly” because of “behaviour” on the previous flight.

That “behaviour” was simply staying calm while we tried to get help for my father.

A few minutes later, a Customer Service Agent, came down the aisle and asked me to step off the plane “to discuss the situation.” In front of the entire cabin, I was escorted out and questioned about whether I was “emotional,” “upset,” or “fit to fly.”

It was humiliating and retaliatory.

I explained that my only “offense” had been asking for the flight attendant’s name. Loida said wheelchair passengers “must deplane last” and insisted “all procedures were followed.” She wanted assurance I wouldn’t “cause a problem.”

We were eventually allowed back on the plane, but not before the confrontation delayed the flight’s departure. Later, a different attendant came by to “thank me for being a loyal customer” with another employee standing beside her as a “witness.”

It was theater; the kind that tries to turn accountability into intimidation.

What This Really Means

Under the Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. § 41705) and 14 CFR Part 382, airlines are legally required to provide prompt and safe deplaning for passengers with disabilities, ensure 24/7 access to a Complaint Resolution Official (CRO), and strictly prohibit retaliation or intimidation.

Instead, American Airlines staff repeatedly:

• Delayed deplaning in violation of accessibility standards.
• Denied prompt assistance despite multiple verbal and written requests.
• Concealed employee identities to avoid accountability.
• Publicly questioned, separated, and humiliated both a disabled veteran and his family.

It’s not just a training issue, it’s a systemic failure of compassion.

What You Can Do

If you or a loved one ever need disability assistance when traveling:

Before You Fly

• Note “wheelchair required” or “boarding assistance” in your booking, and call the airline’s Disability Assistance Desk to confirm it’s in your record.
• Ask for the CRO (Complaint Resolution Official) phone number before travel.
• Keep medications, IDs, and key documents in your carry-on.
• Take photos of your boarding passes and seat assignments.

When Things Go Wrong

• Calmly state:

“This passenger has a disability and is entitled to prompt wheelchair and deplaning assistance under the Air Carrier Access Act.”

• Write down every name, time, and gate location.
• Call customer service or the airline’s elite desk while the issue is unfolding, it creates a time-stamped record.
• Ask for the CRO immediately if help is denied.

After Your Flight

• File a complaint with the airline and the U.S. Department of Transportation (https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint).
• Include names, times, and photos as documentation.
• Save all texts, call logs, and boarding passes as evidence.

A Final Thought

If being labeled “emotional” is the cost of defending our elders, I’ll wear that label proudly.

Systems built on apathy don’t change until someone stands up or in this case, refuses to sit quietly in the face of injustice.

- Marley Majcher

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