Way to go Cunard/QM2

[alibabacruisers]

What a nice story....QM2 to the rescue. (I could not find the link. so just tried to copy the story here...hope it works...I apologize if there are problems). Good publicity for Cunard. Story was on Ninemsn.

 

 

A young Frenchman who weighs 230kg and was deemed too heavy to fly on a jetliner has arrived in New York to head home by ship.

 

 

 

• Kevin Chenais and his parents arrived on Tuesday at Penn Station in New York by train from Chicago. They will stay at a hotel in Brooklyn until they catch the Queen Mary 2 for England.
  

 

Chenais, 22, has a hormone imbalance and came to the US from France in 2012 for obesity treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Chicago.

He had planned to fly home in late October, but British Airways refused to let him board the plane on the grounds he was too fat.

The family spent more than a week at a hotel near Chicago airport as they tried to resolve the situation.

On Monday, they decided to take a train to New York, from where they will sail for England on November 19.

"It is mainly my parents who are angry," he told reporters, looking tired after the 19-hour train trip from Chicago.

His father Rene criticised British Airways for paying for just five nights in a hotel, where in the end they spent 13 days. He said the carrier has yet to refund their tickets.

An airline spokesman said the carrier tried to find a solution but in the end it was not possible to tend to Chenais safely.

Chenais needs oxygen constantly and medical oversight, so the week-long trip from New York to Southampton will not be easy.

Chenais has mobility problems and gets around in an electric-powered wheelchair.

As he arrived in New York, with the help of the French consulate, police and staff from the rail company Amtrak helped him off the train and out of the station.

On Tuesday, his father said that two or three days after British Airways refused to let him fly, their travel agent said Air France and Swissair were willing to take him. But the family was out of money.

"We paid $1200 for the train and then $2000 for the ship. We cannot pay any more," Rene Chenais said.

He added he was considering legal action against British Airways.

"For now Kevin has to hang in there. We are going to try to visit New York a bit and disconnect," Chenais senior said.

A doctor will examine Chenais in the coming days, and staff on the Queen Mary 2 have been friendly, the father said.

Edited November 13, 2013 by alibabacruisers

[Salacia]

Yes, alibabcruisers, it is always good to hear when one is able to find their way home - as in this case which was previously mentioned on an earlier thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1941119

 

Best wishes,

Salacia

[Sauer-kraut]

Chenais, 22, has a hormone imbalance and came to the US from France in 2012 for obesity treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Chicago

 

The Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota, not Chicago. :rolleyes:

[Salacia]

The Mayo Clinic is in Minnesota, not Chicago. :rolleyes:

 

The Mayo Clinic has been expanding with locations in a few different states, for example, NorthShore University Health Care in Chicago is part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. http://www.mayoclinic.org/chicago/

[Sauer-kraut]

The Mayo Clinic has been expanding with locations in a few different states, for example, NorthShore University Health Care in Chicago is part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. http://www.mayoclinic.org/chicago/

 

Ahha! The former Northwestern Healthcare.

[alibabacruisers]

Yes, alibabcruisers, it is always good to hear when one is able to find their way home - as in this case which was previously mentioned on an earlier thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1941119

 

Best wishes,

Salacia

 

Thanks for that Salacia...did not even see that thread.

[Salacia]

You're welcome, Barbara. Anyway, good news is always a joy :) Cheers, -S.

[turquoise 6]

The Mayo Clinic has been expanding with locations in a few different states, for example, NorthShore University Health Care in Chicago is part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. http://www.mayoclinic.org/chicago/

Again, thank you Salacia. You never fail this site and get the source.

[hawkeyetlse]

What a nice story....QM2 to the rescue.

I guess something went wrong in the meantime:

Rene Chenais told French media they had then tried to cross the Atlantic on the cruise ship Queen Mary but had again been turned down for reasons of "medical security". (BBC News)

Good publicity for Cunard.

:o The good publicity should go to Virgin Atlantic and P&O Ferries, which stepped in after BA, Cunard, and Eurostar were all unable to take this passenger.

 

I hope he's home now. Best wishes for his treatment, and here's hoping that one day he'll be able to experience what it's like to travel for pleasure, as those of us here on CC are lucky enough to do.

[Salacia]

I guess something went wrong in the meantime:

:o The good publicity should go to Virgin Atlantic and P&O Ferries, which stepped in after BA, Cunard, and Eurostar were all unable to take this passenger.

 

I hope he's home now. Best wishes for his treatment, and here's hoping that one day he'll be able to experience what it's like to travel for pleasure, as those of us here on CC are lucky enough to do.

 

hawkeyestle, I couldn't agree more.

 

BTW, again - just to mention, there are two threads on this topic. Here is the original thread posted by Iamthesea... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1941119

 

Regards,

Salacia

Edited November 21, 2013 by Salacia

[alibabacruisers]

Things sure do change...from Cunard to Virgin and P&O. I hope the guy has gotten a resolution to his problem.