[nagdu] . Blind man barred from Dubai flight over disability

[Artie.]

Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2010 5:41 PM


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A blind American traveler says he was stopped
from getting on a flight in Dubai on Tuesday because of his disability - a
decision the government-run airline insists was a mistake it regrets.

Zuhair Mahmoud, of Arlington, Virginia, told The Associated Press he ran
into problems when he went to check in for a 10:10 a.m. flight on FlyDubai
to Amman, Jordan. He was planning a brief stay in the Jordanian capital
before heading back to the United States.

"They looked at me and said: 'Well, we can't take you. ... You're traveling
alone,'" he recalled.

Mahmoud protested and asked employees to check with their superiors. He said
he was told that there was nothing they could do because it was
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101005/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_dubai_blind_traveler##>
airline policy not to allow a blind traveler onboard unaccompanied.

"I was mad. ... I couldn't believe it," the 37-year-old information
technology specialist said. "I tried to reason with them, but I just got a
single cold answer."

He left the airport and went to stay at a brother's house in Dubai until he
could catch another flight out.

The airline doesn't dispute Mahmoud's account.

Its chief executive apologized for the incident and said the carrier does
not discriminate against blind passengers or others with special needs.
FlyDubai also promised to rebook Mahmoud on another flight that's convenient
for him and offered him a voucher for a free flight to make up for the
mishap.

"This morning's events were extremely unfortunate and should not have
happened. We will conduct a full investigation to find out what went wrong
in this situation and take all means necessary to ensure it does not happen
again," FlyDubai CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said in an e-mail to the AP.

The
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101005/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_dubai_blind_traveler##>
discount carrier has grown quickly since it was launched by the Gulf
city-state's government in June last year. It focuses on low-cost short-haul
flights throughout the Middle East.

Al-Ghaith is a former executive at Dubai's flagship airline, Emirates. The
two carriers operate as separate airlines, though both are owned by the
emirate of Dubai and are chaired by an uncle of the sheikdom's ruler.

Mahmoud said he is keeping his options open, including possible legal
action.

He wants the airline and UAE government regulators to take steps to ensure
the same thing doesn't happen to others.

"I'm probably not going to come back to Dubai ever unless I'm assured these
sorts of things aren't going to happen anymore," he said. "The real test is
how it's handled and how it's reacted to. Mistakes happen all the time. It's
how you deal with them that defines who you are."





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