[nfb-talk] Airlines Discriminates Against The Blind:

Wed Oct 6 12:38:09 UTC 2010

    here it is if it hasn't been posted yet.
Chuck

Blind man barred from Dubai flight over disability

Blind American man Zuhair Mahmoud who was rejected from his flight, in 
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010. He 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 which it regrets. 
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. He was planning a brief stay in the Jordanian capital before heading 
back to the United States.(AP Photo/Farhad Berahman)
Adam Schreck, Associated Press Writer, On Tuesday October 5, 2010, 3:38 pm 
EDT
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- 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 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 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."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Blind-man-barred-from-Dubai-apf-3341796926.html?x=0&.v=1
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Anjelina" <anjelinac26 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2010 1:09 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Airlines Discriminates Against The Blind:

> Are you trying to paste the article written about the blind man barred 
> from a flight leaving Dubai?
> The following article shows definite discrimination:
> http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Blind-man-barred-from-Dubai-apf-3341796926.html?x=0&.v=1
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Kenneth Chrane" <kenneth.chrane at verizon.net>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2010 4:03 PM
> Subject: [nfb-talk] Airlines Discriminates Against The Blind:
>
>
>> Hi, I tried to get the contents of the article in the body of the Email.
>>
>> I will try again later.
>>
>> Kenneth Chrane
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-talk mailing list
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
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>>
>
>
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