Airline passenger news and views

A girl of 12 has been refused a plane ticket by British Airways staff because she had Down's syndrome.

The mother of the girl in question was stunned when she was told her daughter could not fly unaccompanied as it was the company's policy not to accept passengers with Down's travelling alone.

The mother had phoned the airline directly to book her daughter a flight from Gatwick to Glasgow. The mother explained that she wanted her daughter to travel as an unaccompanied minor, to which she was informed that it was company policy that they did not take children with Down's syndrome. When questioned why they had this policy, the response by the member of staff was:_ 'Because we've had problems in the past.'

The mother went onto say that she had believed she had followed protocol by advising them of 'additional needs' Had she not have done this, she would have still been turned down when she arrived for her flight because she had Down's Syndrome.

When the mother went on to ask what the position would be if the passenger were a child on the autistic spectrum, the BA staff member said: 'We wouldn't be able to see that.'

The young girl had planned to go to Glasgow to visit her aunt, and attends a mainstream school, reads as well as an average 12-year-old, and regularly goes away with church and Guide groups.

She lives with her parents and three older siblings. Her mother went on further to say that, 'Our expectation has always been she would do what her siblings have done - with extra support. My daughter knows she has Down's. She's very proud of the fact.'

'We've never had any problem with discrimination before.'

'It was discrimination against people with a disability but more worryingly people with a specific disability. BA should be better informed.

'This is 2011. Most of the world has moved on in terms of their treatment of people with learning disabilities. People with Down's syndrome go to mainstream school, college, they live independently, they hold down jobs but, it would seem, cannot travel independently with British Airways.'

Carole Boyes, Chief Executive of the Down's syndrome Association, said she was surprised to learn of BA's behaviour. She said: 'I could not understand it. It seemed very strange.'

A BA spokesman said it was not company policy to refuse solo flyers with Down's syndrome.

She added: 'We will carry any child over five years old as an unaccompanied minor, provided they can go to the toilet unassisted, feed themselves, and behave in a socially acceptable manner.

'This includes children who have Down's syndrome and other additional needs. 'We apologise unreservedly for the upset caused to this particular mother and her daughter. Our customer service agent made a mistake and we will ensure this is rectified.

I ask myself is this yet another example of discrimination with someone with a disability, and the airlines lack of consideration? Let us hope this is an isolated case.

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