A Beyoncé fan was left behind by the airline because his wheelchair could not be transported. As a result, he missed the concert – but in the end he even met the singer in person.
Beyoncé’s concerts are one of her fans’ big dreams in life and they would do anything for them. Jon Hetherington is one of the pop queen’s ardent supporters and was about to attend her performance in Seattle.
But nothing came of it: The 34-year-old is in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy – and the airline Alaska Airlines, which was supposed to take him from the airport in Eugene (US state of Oregon) to Seattle, did not want to let him fly. However, according to the airline, it was not possible to transport the electric wheelchair in the aircraft intended for this purpose. Hetherington gave the reason in a TikTok video that the wheelchair was ten centimeters too big.
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“They’ve checked every flight on every airline and nothing is available. So after 25 years of waiting, I won’t be seeing Beyoncé today,” the visibly disappointed fan said, adding: “Ableism (disadvantages of disabled people, editor’s note) strikes again.” Hetherington actually didn’t make it to the concert in Seattle – but that didn’t mean that he had to completely miss out on a performance by Beyoncé. The pop singer herself made sure of that.
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After Beyoncé and her team became aware of Jon Hetherington’s situation via social media, they made sure that the wheelchair user got a flight and a ticket to the show in Arlington. And not only that: the singer even took a few minutes for her fan on the sidelines of the performance and took a photo with her. He wrote on Instagram: “I will cherish the words you said and the hugs you gave me. I meant every word I said.” Hetherington didn’t want to reveal what exactly Beyoncé and he talked about: “I’ll never reveal what she said to me, don’t even try. That was a moment between the two of us.”
Accustomed to being discriminated against because of his disability
So a happy ending for the Beyoncé fan. “I’m really grateful that this all happened,” Hetherington told the New York Times. But the problems with the airline still annoy him: “It’s a systemic problem. I’ve had to deal with discrimination because of my disability my whole life.” He hopes that the needs of people with disabilities will be taken into account more at concerts, air travel and in many other places in society. Hetherington, who has been disabled since birth, says he is “used” to disadvantages: “I can’t just buy tickets to a concert normally. Anyone else can do that. That frustrates me.”
Sources: / / /
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
