If he didn't bother to request special assistance what's his beef, exactly?
Self inflicted event imo, and no one "forced" him - he volunteered to make the climb by the sound of it.
Not saying the airline exactly covered itself with glory - far from it, but not quite the brutal event suggesed by the headline.
Just like the shrieking "doctor" removal a couple of months back - events severely misreported by sensationalist penmanship.