A review by the Civil Aviation Authority has shown the depth of contempt within the airline industry for Disabled passengers.
The review, started four years ago, but was interrupted by the pandemic, looked at the accessibility of airlines’ websites, and how they operate at UK airports. Many airlines sent questionnaires on their accessibility didn’t even bother to return them.
It raises concerns about the treatment of passengers left to wait or encouraged to get off by themselves when they need assistance when flights land and passengers are disembarked, along with the paucity of decent toileting provision and damage to passengers’ mobility and accessibility equipment.
The CAA has announced plans for a new airlines accessibility framework which will rank airlines on how they deal with requests for assistance, website accessibility, how they handle passengers’ equipment, access to toilets, and what they do with assistance animals.
The CAA said it was aiming to assess the twenty largest airlines within two years.
The report was released just weeks after DR UK joined TV presenter Sophie Morgan to present the Rights on Flights campaign petition at Number Ten Downing Street.