Limbless Woman Kept Off Flight Told Torso Cannot Possibly Fly On Its Own."

[matcom]

<snip>

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A wheelchair-bound woman with no limbs sued Air France for discrimination on Friday, alleging she was kept off a flight by a gate agent who told her a "torso cannot possibly fly on its own."

Adele Price, 42, a British citizen, sued the airline in Manhattan federal court seeking unspecified damages.

Price, who was born without limbs because her mother took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy, said in the suit she is able to manipulate a wheelchair and has traveled by air many times.

The suit states that she had bought a ticket in 2000 for travel between Manchester, England and New York. After Price had checked her luggage, she alleged that she was stopped by an Air France agent who told her that "a head, one bottom and a torso cannot possibly fly on its own."

Price said in the suit that Air France let her take another flight to New York but only after she was able to get a companion to go with her. However, Price said she had to pay for the companion's airfare and lodging.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=1&u=/nm/20040816/od_nm/life_bias_dc

[matcom]

1. kick

[Bertha Venation]

2. ignored at first because I thought it was from the Onion or something

This is outrageous!! The court ought to award the woman Air France!

[GOPisEvil]

3. WTF?!

Air France needs to get with the program!

[demnan]

4. What kind of idiot

would say that to a person. Forget the insensitivity of it, why would that even be so (that a torso couldn't fly). Even dead people fly.

[arwalden]

7. Yep, those were pretty cruel remarks.

The flight attendant's concerns should have been more thoughtfully conveyed to the passenger.

[BringEmOn]

5. If she's not the pilot, I don't see the problem

[arwalden]

6. Air France Probably Made The Right Call

Although this woman is an adult, she is a special needs adult and her needs are very likely above and beyond what the airline can be reasonably expected to provide for her.

Even though she's an adult, the level of attention she needs could be compared to that of a toddler. In the event of an emergency, or if a fast egress was needed, the woman would be totally helpless without at least two attendants assisting her and neglecting other duties for the benefit of one.

Unless she was pushing the envelope to purposely try and create an issue, she should have been more prepared by alerting the airline that she was a handicapped traveler with special needs.

With that foreknowledge, the airline could have addressed her needs with her at that time and made special arrangements for her as necessary. (Or they could have explained their policy about passengers with special needs, and she could have provided documentation from her physician that indeed she was capable of flying alone, etc etc.)

I put a bit of the onus back on her for just showing up "unannounced" (SURPRISE!) knowing full well that she's an unusual case that airlines aren't routinely prepared for.

Because she didn't alert the airline ahead of time. None of the staff was made aware of what her needs may have been nor were they provided any authoritative assurances that she would NOT need constant "babysitting" that would distract from the attendants' duties and (essentially) lessened the safety services provided to other passengers.

Of course she has the right to travel, but I believe her lawsuit is frivolous and without merit. She needs to take a little responsibility on her own. This is a no-brainer.

-- Allen