Airline passenger news and views

As you know I have long campaigned for 'fairer and competent' service for 'disabled passengers' here at flights.co.uk I was amazed at picking up on the following story.

A blind woman missed her flight home because budget airline easyJet refused to let her guide dog travel.

Joanna Jones had been due to board a flight from London Gatwick to Belfast International on Sunday - with her poodle/Labrador cross guide dog, Orla - but wasn't allowed on the plane because staff said she didn't have the correct paperwork.

Miss Jones said:  'I've experienced discrimination before, but not to this level over such a minor detail.'

Miss Jones, who had booked her flight months in advance and made a phone call ten days before flying to check her special assistance was booked and she said the airline knew she was travelling with a guide dog.

'I was first asked if I had a passport for her - which you don't need when you're travelling domestically, that's only for travelling abroad,' said Miss Jones.

'I was then asked if I had any type of paperwork to prove she was a guide dog, which I don't.  So I pointed to her harness and the tag on her lead and collar and to the fact that I am obviously blind. This is where I find this whole incidence unbelievable, that they would put this poor woman through all this unnecessary stress and aggravation, and they are not discerning enough, or indeed have the decency to just 'let it drop'.

'They went back to speak to people in head office and came back to me and said that, if I don't have the paperwork, I wouldn't be allowed to fly.'

She said:  'I am totally frustrated and flabbergasted' by the whole ordeal.

She has made the trip between England and Northern Ireland many times over the last 12 years, including other easyJet flights and says she has never been asked for paperwork before.

In a statement from the Guide Dogs Association, Transport Policy Officer John Welsman said:  'While what happened to Ms Jones is unfortunate, airlines do have rules which say that assistance dog owners must provide proof of their dog's status.

'Those rules are in place to protect passenger safety, and we would remind all our guide dog owners to carry their ID cards with them at all times.'

On Sunday, she contacted the Guide Dog Association through an emergency number and they sent basic details - including the computer number printed on Orla's collar - to the service desk.

easyJet at that point said they now had enough proof - but Miss Jones had already missed her flight.

An easyjet spokesman said:  'easyJet welcomes passengers travelling with assistance dogs and carries hundreds each year.

'However, in line with CAA guidelines, easyJet's regulations make clear that documentation must be carried showing that they are a trained guide dog.

'In this case, unfortunately Miss Jones did not have this documentation with her and by the time it was faxed through she missed her flight.

'easyJet staff offered every assistance to Miss Jones and transferred her free of charge onto the first available easyJet flight this morning.'

Miss Jones' partner Barry Toner, who is also registered blind, has also lashed the budget airline for a 'lack of common sense' in dealing with the issue.

He said:  'I got a phone-call from her at 7.30pm to say that they weren't letting her board the aircraft because they didn't believe that her guide dog was, in fact, a guide dog.

'The dog was standing there wearing an official guide dog harness and had a medallion with the guide dog logo embossed on it and with the guide dog name and number and so forth - but that wasn't sufficient.'

Miss Jones and Orla spent yesterday relaxing at home, but she has said she will be taking the matter further.

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