[nfb-talk] Airlines In Trouble, Because of Discrimination Against Blind Passengers:

[Steve Jacobson]

For those who think the article below is far-fetched, there was consideration here to limit the number of disabled 
passengers on a single flight in the late 70's or early 80's when we were having so much trouble with the airlines.  This 
airline seems to be out on the edge from some of the other statements made, but it also serves as a reminder.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:30:40 -0500, Kenneth Chrane wrote:


>contact info
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>MSN roselee65 at hotmail.com

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: Criminal Justice Major Extraordinarie 
>To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; 
>Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 5:32 PM
>Subject: [blind] Ryanair is attacked for ejecting blind passengers


>  
>Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 11:32 AM
>Subject: Ryanair is attacked for ejecting blind passengers
>Ryanair is attacked for ejecting blind passengers
>By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
>The Independent, Thursday, 13 October 2005
>Ryanair, the no-frills airline, is under fire from disability
>campaigners for ejecting nine blind and partially sighted passengers from a 
>plane just minutes before take-off.
>The passengers, who were travelling to Italy for a walking holiday, had 
>completed check-in procedures and were sitting on the plane at Stansted when 
>the pilot announced they would have to vacate their seats. They were then 
>"marched" off and escorted back to the airport lounge.
>Some waited six hours for another flight while others were forced to sleep 
>on the airport floor overnight. One of the party was so distressed by the 
>incident - to be featured on BBC's Watchdog
>programme next week - she abandoned her holiday.
>"It was dreadful. You felt like a criminal. We were all devastated," one of 
>the blind passengers, Beryl Barton, from Norwich, said. "Five minutes before 
>take-off the pilot asked: 'Are many of you blind?' and we said: 'Yes, one or 
>two' and he said: 'We have already got disabled people on the flight and you 
>will have to get off'. They marched us through to the lounge and this lady 
>came and she said: 'Of course, you got off of your own accord' and we 
>shouted: 'No, we haven't."
>There was no safety justification, she insisted: "We can all walk.
>We've all got a partially-sighted or sighted guide. We could get off as 
>quickly as anyone else."
>Ryanair explained it could not take the customers because it already had 
>three "disabled" people on board (unconnected to the party) and it 
>stipulates no more than four "disabled" people on each flight.
>However, the organiser of the trip, Katherine Hurst said she rang Ryanair 
>eight months before she travelled to check there would be no problems. She 
>said: "The pilot said: 'How would you manage if the cabin was full of smoke' 
>but it wouldn't make any difference. They are used to not seeing."
>Ryanair, whose chief executive is Michael O'Leary, has a controversial 
>record on disabled people. Last year, it lost a case brought by a disabled 
>man who was charged 18 for the use of a whreelchair.
>Afterwards it said that it would have to raise ticket prices as a result.
>The Royal National Institute for the Blind has received eight complaints 
>about Ryanair, an unusually high number about one company.
>In one case, it is considering legal action. Jane Vernon, its legal officer, 
>said: "I think Ryanair's whole attitude towards disabled people is 
>disgraceful. Saying on their website they are charging an extra 50p per 
>ticket to pay for wheelchairs for disabled people is despicable."
>Ryanair insisted its policy on disabled passengers was "clearly highlighted" 
>on its website and did not know of the RNIB's cases. It said it had 
>"repeatedly apologised" to the passengers removed from the plane.
>In-flight turbulence
>Bob Ross took on Ryanair over being charged 18 for the use of a wheelchair 
>at Stansted in March 2002. When Mr Ross, a cerebral palsy sufferer, won the 
>case , Ryanair was quick to appeal, saying a 50p surcharge on all tickets 
>would be levied to cover the cost of providing wheelchairs. They lost the 
>appeal.
>In March this year, Ryanair was fined 24,000 for misleading customers about 
>the price of flights from Stansted.
>This year, the airline, which charges employees for uniforms, announced that 
>mobile phones must not be charged at work.
>An advert launched just after the London bombings featured Winston Churchill 
>saying: "We shall fly them to the beaches ... we shall fly them to London"
>It drew 319 complaints, but was deemed "suitably respectful" by the 
>Advertising Standards Authority.
>From:
>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ryanair-is-attacked-f
>or-ejecting-blind-passengers-510715.html 

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