[Travelandtourism] {Disarmed} Discussion: Deaf-Blind Priest prevented from flying

[Tracie Inman]

Deaf, blind priest grounded by airline

August 12 2013 at 12:50pm
By 
Neo Maditla
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Deaf and blind priest Father Cyril 
Axelrod was refused a seat on a plane to 
Joburg. Picture: Ross 
Jansen

Cape Town - A deaf and blind priest says he feels "humiliated" 
following an 
incident at the Cape International Airport on Saturday when 
British Airways 
staff refused to let him board a plane to Joburg on his 
own.

On Sunday, Father Cyril Axelrod, 71, of the Holy Redeemer Catholic 
Church in 
Bergvliet, said he spent his time between South Africa and 
England, where he 
was based, and had had no trouble flying on his own 
before.

Speaking through a sign language translator, Axelrod said: "I 
have a 
relationship with a travel agent who knows my travel needs and always 
clarifies them to the airline beforehand."

Axelrod showed the Cape 
Argus a special tag that British Airways issued to 
him five years ago which 
has his name on it and clearly states he is allowed 
to travel on his 
own.

But on Saturday afternoon as he was trying to check in, a BA ground 
crew 
member said she was not sure if he would be allowed to fly alone and 
proceeded to call a supervisor.

"I explained to them that I have 
flown alone to South Africa many times. But 
they called the captain, who 
said no, I am not allowed on the flight. I was 
shocked. I couldn't believe 
it."

Axelrod said they asked him - through his translator - if he knew 
the 
emergency procedure and he told them he did and recited it to them, but 
that 
did not help either.

His ticket was confiscated and he had to 
return to Bergvliet instead of 
heading to Joburg where he was expected to 
give a church service on the East 
Rand.

"I feel humiliated. They took 
away my human rights," he said.

"I feel extremely bad about this. They 
didn't treat me like a human being.

"They should have asked how I could 
assist them. They could have learned 
something. They could have asked me and 
I could have helped them. This is 
not fair."

He is due to fly back to 
England in September and is worried that he may not 
be allowed to 
board.

"I was born and raised in South Africa. But I live in England. 
They know my 
home is in London."

DeafSA's Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen said 
the incident was a form of 
discrimination and that when DeafSA had tried to 
get hold of the airline 
through translator Francois Deysel its call centre 
had been closed.

Newhoudt-Druchen said DeafSA would go to the airporton 
Monday to try to get 
to the bottom of what had happened and get Axelrod's 
ticket refunded.

British Airways could not be reached for comment. - Cape 
Argus

Source 
URL:
http://www.iol.co.za/travel/travel-news/deaf-blind-priest-grounded-by-airline-1.1560885

 
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