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The UK government has launched a new task force aimed at improving air travel for disabled passengers. Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is to lead the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, which will work to make flying accessible for all from “booking to baggage claim”. The move follows a series of incidents in which disabled passengers were unable to access the facilities they required when travelling. “We want to ensure that all disabled passengers can travel confidently and competently,” said Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.
The group will also include Sophie Morgan, co-founder of global disability campaign body Rights on Flights. Other members will include representatives from airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and British Airways, as well as UK airports, including Stansted, Manchester and Glasgow. The group will meet for the first time later this month. It will deliver recommendations and proposed actions to the transport secretary next year, following a nine-month review.
Issues under consideration by the group may include being left onboard aircraft without timely assistance, poorly handled wheelchairs, inadequate service, lack of access to toilet facilities and limited access to clear information. The group will “agree short and long-term practical and achievable actions that can be implemented by the industry, the regulator or the government,” according to the Department for Transport.
Grey-Thompson welcomed the move, saying: “It is essential that the rights of each passenger are protected at every aspect of their journey, so they can travel with the respect they deserve.” Morgan added: “This is an important milestone in the ongoing fight for rights on flights. For far too long disabled people have suffered when flying and enough is enough.”
In September, Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, who uses a wheelchair, crawled along the floor of a LOT Polish Airlines plane in order to reach the toilet. Gardner said it was “shameful” that disabled passengers flying out of UK airports should still be discriminated against in this way. In August, Grey-Thompson was forced to “crawl off” a train arriving at London’s King’s Cross after waiting in vain for assistance for 20 minutes
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