EDMONDS, Wash. — Disabled Alaska Airlines passengers are saying the company is failing to keep a promise to make certain planes accessible to them.
People in motorized wheelchairs continue showing up at the airport only to be told they can't board.
Jessie Owens' car was hit by a falling tree. She now uses a wheelchair to navigate the world and will do so for the rest of her life.
That was 10 years ago, so she knows all about getting around as a disabled person.
"When you are disabled or have a special circumstance, nobody goes into travel willy-nilly," said the Edmonds resident. "You're often overprepared."
In June, Owens planned to travel to a wedding in California.
When she got to the gate at Everett's Paine Field she says an Alaska Airlines employee told her she couldn't board because her motorized wheelchair was temporarily not allowed.
"I looked at her and I just thought, that sounds illegal. Can I see the policy on that?"
Owens had to Uber to Sea-Tac where she was put on a different airplane.
The airline reimbursed her for the two-hour ride and sent a $200 travel voucher.
"They were very nice about it," said Owens, "but that doesn't change the fact that I couldn't fly out of the airport I wanted to fly out of. We're still putting the burden on the customer, especially customers who already have a difficult time traveling."
Alaska apologized and blamed the problem on FAA concerns involving weight loads of motorized wheelchairs in the cargo hold on Embraer 175 airplanes.
KING 5 was first alerted to the issue in May when a Bellingham man fell into a similar situation.
Back then, Alaska told KING 5 the issue would be rectified within 30 days.
As of July 13, 72 days have passed with still no fix.
"We have laws about this," said Owens. "We have a right to travel. There was no reason for this to be any different."
Several years ago, Alaska started replacing Bombardier Q-400 planes with more efficient Embraer 175s.
One unforeseen consequence was a weight distribution issue that makes carrying large, heavy objects, like wheelchairs, problematic in the cargo hold.
Other airlines, including Delta and American found a way to work around the issue, but Alaska has not.
"I think Alaska's reputation has been damaged and they need to repair it," said Owens.
In a statement to KING 5 an Alaska Airlines spokesperson said:
"We have been working with the FAA, Embraer and the Brazilian government on our solution to the battery-powered mobility device embargo. After receiving approval from all necessary regulators and with a few more safety processes to run through, we’re confident that we are now just days away from being able to safely lift the embargo. We are deeply sorry to our guests who have been impacted by this issue and look forward to welcoming battery-powered mobility devices back on our E175 fleet very soon."
KING 5 will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they become available.