London Paralympics Athletes and Disabled Visitors Face Humiliation at UK Airports

Airlines carrying disabled passengers to the UK for both the Olympics and critically the Paralympics could leave disabled passengers stranded on the tarmac, or simply refuse to accept them altogether. This is happening in the UK with increasing frequency and the anguished passengers have been turned away at the gate or dumped on runways. With the Games fast approaching, the Government is facing calls for an immediate change to enforcement procedures.

Unlike in the United States where passengers with disabilities' rights are safeguarded by CFR14 Part 382, strictly enforced by the DoT, the rights of disabled travellers in the United Kingdom are not yet guaranteed civil procedure enforcement, thus leaving compliance to existing regulations to the good spirit of airlines and airport authorities.

Despite clear protection under EU Regulation 1107/2006, the disabled who are humiliated and discriminated against have less protection than the abled traveller whose flight is delayed for over three hours. With a huge increase in volumes during both sets of Games, many disabled rights organisations fear airlines will try to maximise profits and just turn their backs on wheelchair users and those with mobility issues.

"Although the aviation industry has taken steps to implement the Regulation in the UK, it is not always implemented, and there are instances where the service does not work well for passengers. We do have enforcement powers, but these are limited to the ability to take a criminal prosecution," Dame Deirdre Hutton, CBE, Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority explained.

While passengers with reduced mobility traveling from and to the United States can count on guaranteed assistance, disabled travellers to the UK are left to rely on their good luck.

Many disabled travellers hoped that during David Cameron's tenure as Prime Minister, the Government would have shown sensitivity towards the issues around disability. These hopes are long gone, as the occupant of Number 10 seems to have forgotten what he has learned first-hand. Founder of Reduced Mobility Rights, Roberto Castiglioni stated that, "a single change to the rules could save a lot of pain and a PR disaster for the UK."

Reduced Mobility Rights is the support portal for anyone with problems getting around. People with reduced mobility and their carers can meet and share their stories in the web community, get detailed information about their rights, and start investigations into cases of discrimination and humiliation during travel. The organisations goals are to make sure service providers, public or private, comply with the laws safeguarding People with Reduced Mobility Rights; to expose those who violate the laws; to promote awareness among operators and the general public; ultimately to reiterate everybody's right to travel, irrespective of their condition.

For more information, contact: Roberto.Castiglioni@ReducedMobility.eu

As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

Your complete source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only.