A leading accessible holiday tour operator has challenged charter airlines to get to grips with the needs of disabled passengers.
Accessible Travel & Leisure managing director Andy Wright wants Britannia Airways, Monarch Airlines and Thomas Cook Airlines to lead the way for improved comfort and facilities for disabled passengers in the UK.
“I have approached those airlines and told them that they have been identified by my customers as being better than others,” said Mr Wright.
“But I’ve also told them that I think that with not much more effort and some alterations, they could become near perfect.”
Most of the changes could be administrative – for example, ensuring that front bulkhead seats were blocked off for the use of wheelchair passengers.
“If there is no demand from wheelchair users, the airline could then sell those seats with extra space at a premium,” said Mr Wright.
Airlines are currently exempt from the requirements of new accessibility regulations spelled out in the UK’s Disability Discrimination Act but Mr Wright said dealing with people with dignity and respect was a different thing.
Of scheduled airlines, Virgin Atlantic had received the most positive comments from Accessible Travel & Leisure clients.
The airline’s cabin crew is trained in disability awareness with flight attendants given basic signing skills. The crew roster also has proficient signers available, and passengers with hearing impediments can request subtitled film DVDs or loops that cut out ambient cabin noise.
Mr Wright concedes that wheelchair-bound passengers pose particular problems for airlines operating aircraft in conventional commercial configuration but added that much could be done to ease the way for mobility-impaired travellers by changing attitudes.
A wheelchair user himself, Mr Wright said: “ In an ideal world I would like to be able to wheel through the front galley area to nice wide bulkhead seats in the first row but I recognise that this would take considerable financial investment by airlines.
“But with a little thought, airlines could make the lives of passengers with disabilities a little easier.”
Of the airlines recently used by Mr Wright, EasyJet and Egyptair received praise.
“It is ironic that EasyJet turns out to be good but it seems to me that it has everything to do with the tight turnround they have to adhere to,” said Mr Wright.
“They have to get their aircraft cleaned, provisioned and new passengers boarded in a very short time and they cannot afford to get the wheelchair thing wrong.”
Egyptair similarly dealt with his wheelchair needs efficiently and courteously, boarding passengers from the front while bringing Mr White on to the aircraft through rear doors and settling him in seats where armrests folded down seat backs in front folded forward.
“I had five flights with Egyptair on my trip, both on international routes and domestic services and received the same great service on all,” he said.
- Ucango welcomes comments from readers. How have your flights been? What changes would you like to see? Which airlines deserve praise and which ones should be avoided?
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