Ryanair management deny discriminating against passengers with
disabilities while the airline's passengers allege this is the case.
An article focusing on Ryanair's policy of limiting the number of passengers with reduced mobility per flight to four and possible changes to this policy in light of new EU laws ignited a lively debate among readers of this website.
"Ryanair is awful to disable passengers," Glynis Barker posted on Reduced Mobility Rights Facebook Page. "Once my Friend and I went to the airport to go on holiday, we went to check in then they said did you book the wheelchair, we said no. Ryanair told us to go home. And then Steve had come pick us up from the airport. And the next day Steve took us back to the airport. Imagine the cost."
"Anyone who has been on one of these flights would notice the extreme
youth and apparent lack of expertise among their staff, as well as the
exceedingly cramped space and minimal staff. If I were disabled I would
have very great doubts about the ability of the staff to safely move a
disabled person off of the flight safely," Sentinel Red posted.
Reader Dawn Assefa spoke of her own experience with Ryanair limits
for passengers with disabilities. "Last year we went with another
airline because they told us disabled quota was full online.my daughter
has autism and epilepsy."
Ryanair denies imposing restrictive limits on passengers with disabilities. "Ryanair continue to operate a safety limit of 4 for passengers who have restricted mobility in the
cabin or who require special assistance in the cabin, but this is solely so that each of our 4 cabin crew can assist these 4 passengers
during an emergency evacuation," Robin Kiely, head of communications
for Ryanair told Reduced Mobility Rights. "There is no limit imposed
upon any other passengers with disabilities."
The Irish low cost carrier maintained that the maximum of four
passengers with reduced mobility were agreed and put in place in 1995
after discussions with the Irish Wheelchair Association in Ireland and
the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) in the
UK. However, both the DRC and Mr Massie denied providing guidance to
Ryanair on limits to the numbers of disabled passengers able to board
flights.
The European Aviation Safety Agency final report on carriage by air
of Special Categories of Passengers deals another blow to Ryanair's
safety concern upon which the limit was introduced. “Results of this
show that evacuation of certain special categories of passengers (SCPs)
[such has passengers with severe reduced mobility] leads to delays of
the evacuation. According to the findings of the analysed studies and
the risk assessment, the cabin crew should be responsible primarily for
the evacuation of the entire aircraft and only then for the evacuation
of individuals. It is not recommended to task the cabin crew primarily
with the evacuation of SCPs or to obligate them to assist."
"Ryan Air is awful when it comes to passengers with reduced mobility.
Firstly they often do not let PRM to be first on board. Imagine how
hard is to board WCHC with other passengers on board," says Michał
Kosmala. "Secondly they are not tuning off APU so when it comes to wait
in ambulift next to the plane's tail it is easy to damage you ears.
Also, many of PSMs are missing so when unexpected passengers from
arrival wait for PRM service to come they board passengers for
departure. The last thing is that they tend to not use IATA PRM codes."
Reader Pam Krutsch begs to differ. "The problem does not stem from the airlines, it stems from people
claiming disabilities just to get on first or thru security first, and
families of people with severe disabilities dropping people off and
expecting the airlines to take care of everything for them. The abuse is
what causes airlines to decide to limit these things. The abuse is
unbelievable. I work at an airport and it’s a huge burden for the
employees and airline staffing, because those who don’t need it, want to
be self-centred and inconsiderate for their own personal gain. That’s
what has to be stopped."
Reader Ollie Starr thinks the problem goes beyond airlines. "Which
isn’t to say that its good, but it’s an issue not even remotely limited
to planes, or even to transport? Many places have *a* wheelchair space,
but cannot accommodate a group of wheelchair users."
"America has the right idea. If you’re disabled they make sure
there's enough space on their buses and flights. They have seats on
buses which fold right back. There is discrimination in the UK. It's not
about health and safety it’s about cost and profit!" reader Rachael
Rosanne Armstrong said.
Ryanair is renowned for thriving on controversy, and the row over the
limits imposed on passengers with disabilities is just the latest
example of the Irish low cost carrier's well known cliché.
After all, Ryanair’s founder Michael O’Leary built a solid reputation
on controversy. "Anyone who thinks Ryanair flights are some sort of
bastion of sanctity where you can contemplate your navel is wrong. We
already bombard you with as many in-flight announcements and trolleys as
we can. Anyone who looks like sleeping, we wake them up to sell them
things.”
However, one of his most controversial quotes is about overweight
passengers. “Nobody wants to sit beside a really fat ****** on board. We
have been frankly astonished at the number of customers who don't only
want to tax fat people but torture them.”
The budget airline request to correct what they allege to be “false and inaccurate” information did not come as
a surprise. "You undertook no due diligence of Ryanair’s website and
based your inaccurate claims on inaccurate hearsay from
operators and ground handling agents,” Robin Kiely told Reduced Mobility
Rights. "Accordingly we call on you to correct the false and inaccurate
article published on your website headed New law may change Ryanair
limit on passengers with disabilities.”
Reader Darren Lonsdale may have the quick fix to put the row to rest. “Don't fly with Ryan air. There we are, problem solved.”
SOURCE : Reduce Mobility Rights , 29th April 2013
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