Dear Editor,
My husband and I went on a holiday to the US and I had to return home earlier than planned as I became ill. We arrived at the CJA airport at 10.15pm on the night of Saturday, July 5, minus our luggage; we were told it was on the next flight which was due in ½ an hour so we decided to wait. It wasn’t on this flight nor was it on the one which came 20 minutes later. By this time my 79-year-old confused husband was getting agitated, and wanted me to go and look for all sorts of people to whom to complain. I did my best to pacify him, then the luggage came at midnight, by which time I was feeling sleepy and dizzy from the medication I had taken earlier in the day with little or no sleep. My stress levels rose and I felt very ill as though I would pass out at any minute, but realising my husband would be lost without me around I resisted the feeling; however, I asked three uniformed airport staff who were standing around chatting for a drink of water,and I was told there was none. The officials whom I approached told us to go outside, then they wanted my confused husband to go across the compound in the dark to the restaurant. I couldn’t let him go as I knew he would get lost, and I couldn’t go as I felt I would have fainted on the way. Eventually a taxi-driver got me some water which revived me a little. I went back inside and complained that I was ashamed of the treatment to me, a wheelchair passenger, (actually we both were) who could have died for lack of care. I even mentioned I had to cut short my trip because of illness and asked for a First Aider, but they didn’t seem to be much bothered.
I cannot recall what happened next; I don’t know if I fainted but the next thing I remember was someone coming and wheeling me out and taking care of us and our luggage.
Thank God the taxi-driver was very caring and took us home safely and saw us ok before he left.
If this is the sort of welcome and treatment visitors to this country for Carifesta will get, I would urge them to stay away if I were asked for advice. I feel all the airport staff should be trained in first aid and customer care and be encouraged to show concern for travellers, as many are tired and stressed out at the end of a long, tedious journey, and ill health added to that can be very unpleasant.
From my experience since living in this country for the last 7 years I don’t expect anything to come of this – not even an acknowledgement or apology – but I would hope that someone would consider the welfare of travellers and educate/train the staff to be more alert to the needs of fellow human beings and not to treat them like cattle, but like their own relatives.
Yours faithfully,
Lorna Collins