A man died days after British Airways refused to let him onto a flight that was supposed to take him to London for a regular blood transfusion.
Chaz Carl Powell, 41, from Camberwell in southeast London, had sickle cell anaemia – meaning he had ‘unusually shaped red blood cells’ which could cause him painful episodes, jaundice and acute chest syndrome.
He was supposed to fly from Montego Bay in Jamaica, where he had been visiting his girlfriend, to London on March 9 so he could get his six-weekly blood transfusion at King’s College Hospital.
But British Airways said Chaz’s passport was too badly damaged to be considered a valid travel document and he was not able to board the plane.
Chaz applied for emergency travel documents at the British Consulate, but he developed severe jaundice while waiting – which can clearly be seen in the photo he took for his application.
His girlfriend Monique Allen, 30, said he had been ‘complaining of stomach aches’ and ‘struggling to eat’ before she eventually took him to hospital.
He died on March 12, despite doctors trying to resuscitate him, and police recorded a cause of ‘sudden death’.
Although the results of the post mortem are yet to be revealed, Chaz’s mum Sandra Powell believes her son died because the stress of his passport saga worsened his illness.
Sudden changes in temperature, dehydration and indeed stress are known to exacerbate the symptoms of sickle cell.
Sandra, a Southwark Council officer, 60, said her son may have not matched the photo in his ‘slightly damaged passport’ because he had ‘put on weight and grown dreadlocks’ since the picture was taken.
She said: ‘I can’t talk about it, I do not even want to think about it. That should never have happened, they had no right to take control of my son’s life.’
The ‘completely shocked’ mum went on to tell how her ‘helpful and caring son’ would visit Jamaica and return to London without any problems on a ‘regular basis’.
British Airways said: ‘We’re saddened to hear that one of our customers has passed away and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.
‘Airlines are required by law to ensure that all documents presented for travel are valid.
‘While our airport team did what they could to help Mr Powell, unfortunately the photo page of his passport was so badly damaged it could no longer be regarded as a valid travel document.’
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