Airport ordeal Security staff's treatment forced family to cancel holiday

A FAMILY have said they were forced to abandon a £5,000 dream holiday before it had even begun because of the way airport staff dealt with their severely autistic son.

- Angus MCINTYRE

Security officers at Bristol Airport are claimed to have forced Harley Wardzala, who also has global development delay, out of his special wheelchair and made his parents scan his precious sensory toys which caused a “full-blown meltdown”, according to his father James.

The family have said the experience made Harley so upset that his family missed their flight, and a dream holiday to Portugal.

An airport spokesman apologised for the incident and blamed a lot of the issues the family experienced on security protocols.

“Everything was going alright until we hit security, where it was just awful,” James Wardzala said. “We were pushed in with everybody else, and they weren't accommodating at all.

“Harley was forcibly separated from his chair, resulting in a full-blown meltdown, screaming, kicking, and completely inconsolable.

“They ignored his needs, and just tried to push everything through at their own pace. Our son was treated with zero compassion and no dignity, and our family holiday was ruined.”