Media Contact: Ben Ruse
0407 030 808
Media
Statement
BILL SHORTEN MP
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services
Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Airlines Need to Improve Treatment of Passengers
with Disability
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities Bill Shorten has called on airlines to improve
their treatment of people with disability, after more reports of discrimination against
passengers with guide dogs emerged today.
“In the latest case to emerge it has been reported that a Sydney woman was told she
could not book a ticket on a Tiger Airlines flight because of her guide dog,” Mr
Shorten said.
“While she was eventually able to get a Tiger flight, she was stranded in Adelaide
after her return flight was cancelled. While Qantas attempted to help by rebooking
passengers on to a new flight, she claims she was asked to stand aside while they
processed other Tiger passengers ahead of her.”
“This comes on top of a report last week that Jetstar refused to sell a ticket to a
passenger with a guide dog, and of Jetstar’s poor treatment of Paralympian Kurt
Fearnley.”
“While many passengers with disability fly without incident each week, the number of
incidents that are still occurring is too many.”
"People with disability have the same right to travel by air as the rest of the
population. They should not be treated like children or as an inconvenience.”
"They should not face the humiliation of not being allowed to book a ticket because of
their guide dog or being treated as second-class because they use a wheelchair."
“As well as the three incidents that have occurred in recent weeks, I am aware of
other formal complaints being made against Australian airlines over their treatment of
passengers with disability.”
“The Human Rights Commission is currently investigating several complaints against
various airlines, and in another case Jetstar is being taken to the Federal Court by a
passenger who claims Jetstar refused to honour a ticket she had purchased and
denied her access to a flight because she required a wheelchair.”
"While I understand that the airlines involved in all cases have apologised, it would
have been far better if the incidents had never happened."
Media Contact: Ben Ruse
0407 030 808
Mr Shorten said that he believed that the complaints that made it to the media, or to
the Human Rights Commission, were only a small fraction of the total number of
incidents that occurred.
“Airlines have obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act, and they have a
responsibility to educate their employees about them, not blame these incidents on
mistakes by staff.”
“In 21st century Australia, it is not good enough that people with disability are still
being treated as 2nd class citizens by airlines.”
“Australia is a big country, and air travel is often the only way people with disability
can travel interstate for work or other reasons.”
"I can not understand why any company would treat its potential customers with such
a lack of respect.”
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