16/06/2026
We did everything right. It still went wrong. 🙄
Most people see the holiday photos. What they don’t see is the weeks and months of planning it takes to make a trip possible for a child like Scarlett.
We provided JetBlue with detailed information about Scarlett’s needs in advance, including her specialist seating system and boarding requirements. We did everything we were asked to do.
Yet we were left waiting on an aircraft lift for 20 minutes because staff apparently didn’t know they needed to open an aircraft door 🤯 which then meant Scarlett wasn’t boarded first as agreed, meaning I was left carrying my 23kg daughter down a crowded aircraft aisle while passengers were still boarding. Staff appeared unfamiliar with equipment they had been told about beforehand, and we were given conflicting instructions throughout. 🙄
The result was stress, discomfort and indignity for Scarlett and our family before our journey had even begun.
What was particularly telling was that members of the special assistance team at Edinburgh Airport were themselves shocked by what they were seeing and expressed concern about how our family was being treated.
When we complained, JetBlue acknowledged our experience but concluded there had been no service failure.
And that’s the problem.
Too often, disabled families are told that procedures were followed and boxes were ticked, even when the real-life experience falls far short of dignity, accessibility and inclusion.
We don’t expect perfection. We expect preparation, understanding and a willingness to make things right when things go wrong.
This isn’t just about one flight. It’s about a world that still expects disabled children and their families to fight for things that should already be in place.
I’ll keep sharing these experiences, not because I enjoy complaining, but because this is the reality for so many disabled families.
JetBlue may not consider this a service failure. We do.
And Scarlett deserved better. 💖