New EU Rights for Disabled TravellersHelp given by airports By TravelMole on 21 July 2008 in News |
|
   Popular Searchesonline mba - cheap travel - business travel - europe - travel insurance - low cost - last minute - mountains - france - africa travel - thailand travel - island - spain - america - low prices - boat - asia tourism - italy - cruises - sailing |
Disabled air passengers are to receive more help as they travel through airports following new EU legislation. From July 26 all passengers who have a disability or suffer from reduced mobility must be given appropriate help by airports from arrival through check in and onto the departure gates and boarding. Before the legislation, the onus on helping passengers with mobility problems was on both airports and airlines. Leonard Cheshire Disability, which has been campaigning for greater rights for disabled passengers whilst travelling as part of its Now Boarding strategy, recently conducted a survey which revealed that 61% of respondents with mobility issues had experienced problems boarding a plane with 75% saying airline and airport staff did not understand how they could help them. A spokesman for Leonard Cheshire Disability said: “As our Now Boarding campaign showed disabled people are still facing barriers when using air travel, when they should enjoy the same opportunities that most of us take for granted. “We want to see air travel providers take this new directive seriously and equip their staff with the skills and understanding to support disabled customers. They need to ensure that disabled air travellers are satisfied with the journeys and feel confident to fly again.” Travellers who feel they have not been helped sufficiently can now alert the Equality and Human Rights Commission. There are more than 10m registered disabled people currently living in the UK. CommentsS Boyle, Ireland On requesting help for my mother in-law traveling from Belfast Int. to Varna, Bulgaria I was charged an extra £40 by the travel agent in Belfast and was told this was due to the fee they would be charged for this service by Belfast International Airport. I was assured when she checked in this would be arranged, but needless to say we had to arrange this ourselves at the airport. The staff at the airport were excellent but said they were unaware of why there was a charge for this service. Is this common policy to charge for this service? 23 August, 2008 Add Your CommentPlease note: all comments will be manually verified by our staff before appearing on the site. Please do not try and spam and do not use offending language. If you want to be notified when your post has been published, add your email address below. Related ItemsI am pregant but I do love going to spas. Is it okay to visit a spa whilst pregnant?Foreign Office relaxes Kenya travel advice For a fat-free holiday, go to Chelsea, Massachusetts How to avoid holiday rip-offs Going to The Cricket World Cup? Stay Healthy Foreign and Commonwealth office lifts ban on Mexico Changes made to UK's 'Travel Advice' Space Travel Makes Bacteria More Deadly Keep healthy on holiday - naturally Sunscreen under the spotlight Security Tips for Travellers Be Careful With Electrical Items Danger Moles Personal Data No Longer Private Mexico flight suspension extended News Archives |
