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Ministers outline plan for disabled people’s air travel

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The headline of this article is a bit misleading; UK officials haven’t actually come up with a plan to make air travel easier for the disabled, they’re just planning to work on one. For 2019. Okay, that’s fine, we’ll just wait some more. We’re used to that…

Mr Gardner, who was kept waiting on a plane for almost two hours after landing at Heathrow in March, described the government’s ideas as a “welcome step” but added “we’re unlikely to see actual changes in near future”.

He said there is “still a long road to travel”.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43643593

Disabled People Love To Travel But Airlines Are Failing Us

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Air travel is full of difficulties for disabled people, and in the 15 years since my wheelchair went missing, it appears that little has changed

Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Trailblazers – a network of disabled young campaigners – carried out an investigation of the situation in air travel. The Up in the Air report revealed that 6 in 10 young disabled people had sustained damage to their wheelchair. Indeed, 6 out of 10 people feel unsafe when transferring to the airplane seat.

Read more at: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/disabled-people-love-to-travel-but-airlines-are-failing_uk_5aba7a04e4b03e5539296e34

Sophie Morgan: Paralyzed TV Star Abandoned on Plane after Staff Took Away Wheelchair

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Airline staff have been criticized after removing the wheelchair of a TV presenter, leaving her stranded for 40 minutes on board an empty plane after everyone else had disembarked.

Sophie Morgan, 33, tweeted an image of herself stuck on an easyJet plane after it had landed at London Gatwick on Tuesday.

Read the rest at: http://www.newsweek.com/paralysed-paralympics-tv-commentator-abandoned-plane-after-staff-took-away-862888

Paralympian Sophia Warner Asked By EasyJet To Prove She Is Disabled

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A Paralympic athlete has called out EasyJet after the budget airline asked her to prove that she was disabled.

Sophia Warner, a runner who medalled at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Zealand in 2011 and competed at the Paralympics in London in 2012, suffers from cerebral palsy and was challenged by airline staff when attempting to board a flight.

Read more at: http://www.ladbible.com/news/news-sport-uk-paralympian-sophia-warner-asked-by-easyjet-to-prove-she-is-disabled-20180327

Heathrow rules out compensation for delayed disabled passengers

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Disabled passengers who are stranded on planes at Heathrow airport will not be compensated, its chief executive says.

The BBC’s Frank Gardner criticised the airport after he was left waiting for 100 minutes because his wheelchair had been misplaced by ground staff.

CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “I don’t think it’s reasonable that we should take financial responsibility.”

Visit http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43536502 for audio of Heathrow CEO responding to criticism from disabled passengers.