SubscribeIt is not an easy time for airlines. Unfortunately, a scan of current news stories indicates that it is even a worse time for airline passengers with disabilities.
Source: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fs20100819a3.htmlIronically, despite the fact that the transport ministry is planning to submit a Kotsu Kihon Ho (the basic transport law) bill to the Diet next year, which would incorporate the idea of Ido-ken (the right to mobility) for the first time, it has so far done little to improve disabled people's access to air transport. More could be done -- such as demanding airlines pay better attention to special-needs travelers -- if only more people would speak up, said Ono, who says he has so far received through the ministry's hotline only one complaint from a disabled passenger about denied access to flights.
Air Canada found itself in a PR nightmare and was hit hard yesterday morning by posts on Twitter and other social networking sites after it damaged Tanner Bawn's $15,000 wheelchair -his only mode of transportation. Bawn suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the loss of the chair left him largely confined to his hotel room.
Bawn and family were heading to New York to attend a charity run called Tutus for Tanner today to raise awareness for the boy's disease.
Source:"Tanner has his chair back," his aunt Catherine Connors of Toronto.
But Valerie Joan Smith is not breathing any easier even after a 10 year long fight with Air New Zealand:
Source:A woman with a disability that requires her to have extra oxygen when she flies has argued her case in the Court of Appeal at Wellington today after a decade-long court battle against Air New Zealand for what she calls discrimination.
Valerie Joan Smith suffers from a congenital condition which, among other symptoms, means she has a limited lung capacity and can not fly without supplementary oxygen because of the lowered air pressure in the cabin.
In 1999, Ms Smith took an Air NZ flight to Melbourne and advised the company of her need for extra oxygen, for which she was charged $298, a cost she was not happy with.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10667095
France stands up for sanity while EasyJet argues PwD are unsafe reports PlanetSki:
Does easyJet discriminate against the disabled?
The accusation is being made by the French government and the airline categorically refutes the charge. It could have an impact on skiers returning home who have injured themselves.Apparently the airline will not let disabled people travel unless they have an accompanying adult with them who would then be able to help them to an exit in an emergency and deal with other problems.
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But some discrimination is "hidden" in pricing because inappropriate design of the physical space inside airplanes is taken as a given and not challenges -- Universal Dsign is universally ignored:
Disabled travellers are forced to pay more for airline seats which suit their needs, according to Access Travel. Recently, carriers have begun charging an extra £25-£50 per head for seats near the front of the aircraft which have easier access and extra leg room. "They used to be the same price as the other seats and were allocated on a first come first serve basis or to people who needed them most, such as disabled travellers," Access Travel Director Desmond Deignan told Travel Daily. "It's now the biggest problem we face when trying to organise holidays for our customers. We also have to pay extra for seats for their carers who will need to sit with them during the flight."While some airlines will offer priority seating to disabled travellers, they always require a doctor's note detailing the condition. "It's a major hassle for customers to get a doctor's note and sometimes they have to pay. In addition the note must specify that the person needs a carer to accompany them otherwise they have to pay the extra ticket price."
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