Bangkok--Oct 14--eTurboNews
Disabled passengers in Europe are to get new rights to ensure they can't be denied boarding by an airline because of their reduced mobility. The European Parliament has passed a range of proposals to clarify the legal position of airlines with regard to helping any passenger who has a difficulty, including blindness, physical disability, illness or simply old age. None should be charged any extra cost to be able to take a flight.
The proposals oblige all European airports to provide a range of assistance on departure, arrival and in transit free of any charge to the passenger. Any extra cost is passed on to the airline, which will continue to be responsible for on-board assistance.
The proposals for equal treatment of elderly or people with reduced mobility or other disability are being piloted through the European Parliament by the British Member, Robert Evans, who represents west London, including Heathrow Airport. "Airlines have made improvements since 2002 for passengers with reduced mobility under a voluntary agreement but I believe that equal rights should be enshrined in the law," he said.
Budget airline Ryanair lost a court battle last year over charging for the provision of a wheelchair by a disabled passenger at Stansted Airport, and now imposes a levy on all their tickets, to cover the addition costs they claim they incur caring for passengers unable to walk on their own to the aircraft.
Robert Evans' proposals will also ensure that there is a seamless service of care for disabled and elderly passengers. Currently, responsibility for taking care of passengers with reduced mobility changes hands from airport to airline at the check in desk, sometimes leaving people stranded or with unsatisfactory arrangements for their boarding.
"In this day and age where air travel is as common as the car, it is archaic that disabled and elderly people are being maltreated and discouraged from flying just because the airline isn't legally obliged to meet their requirements," he said.
Evans won the first stage of his campaign when his report on a draft regulation by the European Commission was adopted in the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee. He faced some opposition from the right wingers from continental European countries, who want to block additional support for disabled people.
Airline statistics show that about one percent of passengers on scheduled flights require some form of assistance at European airports. This amounts to 7 million passengers per year.
Evans wants to see Internet booking pages redesigned to include a facility for a passenger with reduced mobility to request the help they need at the time of making a reservation. Blind people should be provided with landing cards imprinted with Braille.
The report also recommends that guide dogs should be allowed to travel on long haul flights, airplanes should be designed in consultation with disabled people's representatives, all information should be provided in other formats such as Braille and audio and that all airport and airline staff should be given disability awareness training.
"I never want to hear another case of one of my constituents being treated like a third-rate passenger just because they are blind," Evans added.
The regulations when passed into law will apply to airports of all size in Europe. Evans said there was no reason to exclude smaller airports from the scope of the regulations. "Why should passengers flying to and from remoter areas or using airports with low cost carriers not benefit from the provisions of the regulation?" he said.
Meanwhile, just a day after the European Parliament passed the first stage of new rights for disabled air passengers, low-cost airline Ryanair has been criticized for forcing a group of blind passengers to miss a flight.
A group from the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind had boarded a plane bound for a holiday in Italy but were ordered off and made to return to the terminal at London Standsted.
The airline claimed that for safety reasons, there was a limit of four disabled people on each flight, and there were already three disabled passengers booked on the flight.
The group of six blind and three partially-sighted passengers with three carers were obliged to take two separate flights later, and some spent the night sleeping at the airport while waiting for a later flight to Treviso in north-east Italy. They are demanding an apology and compensation from Ryanair for what they call their "public humiliation".
Their case has been taken up the Richard Howitt, Member of the European Parliament representing the East of England, who is president of the Disability Rights Group of MEPs. "It is utterly unacceptable that a group of blind people capable of enjoying a walking holiday should be treated like this by the airline. This group have had their entire holiday ruined by Ryanair," he said.
The organizer of the group's trip, Katherine Hurst, told the BBC that she had checked with Ryanair back in January to ensure there were no travel restrictions on the blind passengers. She said that she was asked if they needed assistance and she said they did not. On the day of the flight they checked in as normal and were given priority boarding and took their seats.
Then a member of the cabin crew told them that there were too many disabled passengers on board and they would have to leave the plane.
A spokesman for Ryanair said the group was asked to take a later flight because they had not notified the airline of their disability at the time of booking. "It is for safety reasons, so that the crew can attend to these passengers individually in case of an emergency evacuation. This was just an extraordinary situation. It was an unfortunate incident and we do sympathize."
The Royal National Institute for the Blind is investigating eight other complaints about Ryanair over their treatment of blind passengers.
Ryanair were last year ordered to pay compensation to a passenger with reduced mobility who was made to pay a fee for use of a wheelchair to take him from check-in to the plane. He challenged the UR18 charge and was awarded UR1,300 by a court. Ryanair now imposes a UR1 levy on all tickets as a contingency for extra costs of handling disabled passengers.
For more information, please contact
[email protected]
http://www.travelwirenews.com/medie End.