So my last column was about going on holiday. Guess what? So is this one.

I don’t normally have a life quite so ridiculous as over the past few weeks, but I have just returned from 10 days in the Côte d’Azur. I’m very lucky, as I have a good friend who lives in Nice.

That means cheap accommodation and local knowledge of the cheap eats. The only major outlay is the flights.

I’m always one for a G and T to start the hols so I opted for a national carrier rather than paying extortionate budget airline bar bills.

Unfortunately, the service I received was distinctly budget. Let me explain how flying as a wheelchair user should work. When you arrive you check in and you clearly state that you need an aisle chair – this is a mini wheelchair just wide enough to fit between the seats.

I take my wheelchair all the way to the door of the plane then get into the aisle wheelchair and get escorted to my seat. This should all be done before anyone else boards, as it’s not very dignified.

When the flight is over I am then last off and the situation is reversed. My chair is whisked away and stored underneath the plane. Simple right?

Well the assistance people are a third party to the airline... Did they turn up? Nope. They boarded the entire plane bar me. I made it quite clear it is unacceptable to be pushed down an aisle with 300 people watching.

We waited and waited. Thirty minutes and five phone calls passed. So now there is a plane of irate people waiting for me. Thankfully the pilot had some common sense and came out to see me. He agreed to put me in the first row to preserve my dignity.

First row being business class. It is amazing how much Champagne guilt and embarrassment can generate.

I had no problems at Nice, enjoyed an excellent trip and happily boarded the plane in a textbook way. That was until I arrived at Heathrow.

There was no assistance and no ground crew to get my wheelchair – I was stranded.

After some kerfuffle the pilot came and chatted to me and he decided he would go and get my chair then pushed me all the way to the luggage carousel.

Based on this and other experiences, the airline industry has some serious work to do in respect of disabled customers.