Plane ban for deaf traveller

Miss-Delectable

Miss-Delectable

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Plane ban for deaf traveller | The Sun |Home Scotland|Scottish News

A DEAF traveller last night blasted airline staff for refusing to let her on a plane until she proved she couldn't hear.

Lesley Stewart arrived at the easyJet check-in desk for her flight to Edinburgh with her hearing assist dog Molly.

Staff asked the shocked 49-year-old to prove she had a disability, so she showed them her hearing aids.

But by the time an airline manager had come to speak to her, Lesley had missed her flight from Gatwick.

She was finally allowed on the next flight - costing an extra £43 - after charity Hearing Dogs for the Deaf sent a fax confirming her hearing problems.

Last night Lesley, of Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, said: "To be asked to prove I was deaf was absolutely ridiculous.

"I want an apology and an assurance that no one else with a disability has to go through that kind of experience." Furious Lesley, who works for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, added: "Molly and I have flown lots of time with easyJet and never had a problem. This was the first time I had flown from Gatwick."

Lesley's local MP Michael Moore has written to easyJet about the incident. The Lib Dem said: "This is particularly shocking given that she took the necessary steps to register as an assist passenger with a dog before travelling."

EasyJet said they would investigate.
 
Despicable. EasyJet ought to be ashamed. I rather liked them when I traveled around Europe because they are so ridiculously cheap, but this pisses me off.
 
It is very similar to Tiger Airlines, in Australia - I know I never flew with them, despite the prices are damn cheap - I refuse to fly with a airline that refuses deaf people, that is absolutely a discriminiation, and a loss to a customer, a shameful incident.
 
Several of my UK Deaf friends told me that EasyJet tended to discriminate against Deaf people. They advised me not to use EasyJet whenever I was planning to visit UK.
 
JClarke said:
It is very similar to Tiger Airlines, in Australia - I know I never flew with them, despite the prices are damn cheap - I refuse to fly with a airline that refuses deaf people, that is absolutely a discriminiation, and a loss to a customer, a shameful incident.
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Yes my good friends in Sydney and Tasmania told me not to use Tiger airlines and recommended Virgin Blue to me. I used Virgin Blue when I traveled to Melbourne and Tasmania and I thought their services were outstanding.
 
That's disgusting ...i hate ignorant ppl..ugh...like the hearing aids and dog weren't enough? jeese
 
I thought that kinda crap was illegal to do to people even outside the USA
 
Some countries' federal law are poor that request to allow deaf/HOH passengers on all airlines.
 
Seriously why would you ban a deaf passenger? I'm trying to think within the narrow-minded stupid mentality and still can't come up with a reason... :hmm: :whistle: :roll:
 
stuff like that happens and

usually it is just one person in the way but it all goes gunnysack from there.
It is like fate is determined to fit me into its unknowable scheme when it happens to me. Sure I get pissed off but then it becomes clear that a fork in
the road got taken whether I wanted it to or not and everything in my life and who knows how many others and to what degree just got changed. Sounds like the good lady knows someone at the local paper.
 
Didn't she have any identification for the dog? You would think that in order to have a special dog like that, you would need some form of identification for the dog... like a license to have a dog like that. :dunno:
 
Her hearing dog would have a coat on, that's usually proof enough. I guess she should have told them about the dog before the flight
 
Someone told me that the deaf can get a specially-colored drivers license to prove their deafness. Does anyone know if that is true, and which states?
 
Beowulf said:
Someone told me that the deaf can get a specially-colored drivers license to prove their deafness. Does anyone know if that is true, and which states?
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Not in Florida - only a restriction or requirement for outside and rearview mirrors. No speacial background color or anything.
 
Lissa said:
Her hearing dog would have a coat on, that's usually proof enough. I guess she should have told them about the dog before the flight
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Yeah, she should have done that in advance. That way, she knows if she needs to bring something or if they have a policy regarding assistive dogs.

Remember that other thread about the passenger who was removed because he smelled awful? Well, what about passengers who are allergic to dogs? An airplane is a very small seating environment. It would have been easier to have the dog sent like every other dogs.
 
Beowulf said:
Someone told me that the deaf can get a specially-colored drivers license to prove their deafness. Does anyone know if that is true, and which states?
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It depends on the state. Different states have different labels for deafness on their licenses.
 
VamPyroX said:
Yeah, she should have done that in advance. That way, she knows if she needs to bring something or if they have a policy regarding assistive dogs.

Remember that other thread about the passenger who was removed because he smelled awful? Well, what about passengers who are allergic to dogs? An airplane is a very small seating environment. It would have been easier to have the dog sent like every other dogs.
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In the article it says that she already filled out the paperwork she needed to beforehand. I posted about this on my blog if anyone wants to read it!
 
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