Panel to discuss domestic airline which rejects passengers in wheelchairs

[snoop1130]

 

A subcommittee on the elimination of discrimination against persons with disabilities will meet soon to address the problem of a domestic airline refusing to allow disabled passengers in wheelchairs to board its flights.

 

Social Development and Human Security Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said today that he is saddened by the airline’s discriminatory treatment of disabled people and has instructed officials to raise the matter with the subcommittee.

 

He said he is fully aware of the plight of disabled people, for whom leaving home every day is often a challenging adventure, not knowing how they will be treated by other people.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2024-03-13

 

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[Foxx]

And yet the airline isn't named.  Pathetic!

[chickenslegs]

3 minutes ago, Foxx said:

And yet the airline isn't named.  Pathetic!

I think it's related to this topic

 

[NoDisplayName]

Quote

a working group, comprising officials and representatives of disabled people, will be formed to address the problem of discrimination against disabled people on public transport.

 

A more pressing issue might be the problem of accessing public transport.  Or have these ministers never gone anywhere without a personal motorcade?  Have they ever tried walking down a public sidewalk?  Perilous for even the most athletic.

 

[anchadian]

19 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

A more pressing issue might be the problem of accessing public transport.  Or have these ministers never gone anywhere without a personal motorcade?  Have they ever tried walking down a public sidewalk?  Perilous for even the most athletic.

 

Even the PM had his own bedroom installed at Govt House:

Srettha’s overwhelming desire is to cut to the chase. He is only the second Prime Minister in Thai history to install a bedroom at Government House rather than commute through Bangkok’s notoriously snarled streets.

https://time.com/6899782/thailand-prime-minister-srettha-thavisin-business-hub/

[Georgealbert]

CAAT (Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand) guidance on the needs for passengers with disabilities, was recently issued on 27 December 2023 and is contained in the “Guidance Material for Ground Handling Operations” , full document ia attached for reference below.

 

https://www.caat.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/CAAT-GM-OPS-GOPS-Guidance-Material-Ground-Handling-Operations-GOPS-Issue.01-Revision-00-Effective-Date-27.12.2023.pdf

 

The relevant parts of that document is section 7, a few sections highlighted below.

[OneMoreFarang]

Maybe they don't allow it to guarantee the safety of all other passengers.

Imagine you are in a plane in an emergency, and you are stuck behind a wheelchair. And 50 people behind you also want to get out. And then?

 

As long as the airline make this information public, I don't see a problem.

Not everybody can do everything. It's not perfect, but that's life. 

[Foxx]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Imagine you are in a plane in an emergency, and you are stuck behind a wheelchair.

 

Never happened.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

 

Never happened.

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, Foxx said:

And yet the airline isn't named.  Pathetic!

Guessing it's the same one that was in the press fairly recently on the same subject, Thai VietJet

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

 

Never happened.

You pick up the disabled passenger, firemans lift to the evacuation chute.

[Liverpool Lou]

21 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

You pick up the disabled passenger, firemans lift to the evacuation chute.

Really?  Who is?  Who's going to take responsibility for that in a panicky, emergency siyuation?    CAAT regulations require that passengers have to be able to reach and don their life jackets and get to the emergency exit in a reasonable time.  If they can't do the latter without their own assistant, i.e. they're travelling alone, or another passenger carrying them, it's not unreasonable for them not to be boarded in view of the risk they may pose to other passengers in an emergency.  Unfortunate, but there you go, life isn't always fair. 

Edited March 13 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Imagine you are in a plane in an emergency, and you are stuck behind a wheelchair.

 

Never happened.

Maybe the CAAT regulations regarding PRMs are to be thanked for it not, yet, happening?

Edited March 13 by Liverpool Lou

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, Foxx said:

And yet the airline isn't named.  Pathetic!

A recent post regarding an airline and this very thing was named, and they stood behind their decision not to allow a wheelchair bound passenger to board the aircraft.

Why ?

This was because no-one traveling with the person would except responsibility for the person during the flight.

This goes against all safety protocols of the service in-case of an emergency situation.

 

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

You pick up the disabled passenger, firemans lift to the evacuation chute.

Delusional... when sh$t happens it's every person for themselves... 

[2baht]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

a domestic airline refusing to allow disabled passengers in wheelchairs to board its flights.

Disgraceful!

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, Foxx said:

 

Never happened.

Has it ever happened in a non emergency? I believe disabled passengers usually have to wait while most of the rest have disembarked normally. I have a pal who has this misfortune and he travels by air frequently, assisted by his wife though. Air Asia do a good job he tells me. 

[Georgealbert]

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

This was British Airways flight  2276  Las Vegas to London, on 8 September 2015, involving a Boeing 777-200E.

 

All the passengers were safely evacuated, but 19 people sustained minor injuries and one other sustained serious injuries, mostly from sliding down the escape chutes.

 

The aircraft was repaired and returned to service in March 2016, 6 months later.

Edited March 13 by Georgealbert

[les1]

11 hours ago, Foxx said:

And yet the airline isn't named.  Pathetic!

Last year we flew Air Asia to Penang my wife needed a wheelchair I paid 300 baht for this , on arrival no wheelchair dropped out on the tarmac. Eventually wheelchair arrived but no one to push her I was told that I looked fit enough so push it. They offered my money back & it took 12 months with so much pressure obviously 300 baht is neither here nor there but the ordacity of this company shows that they couldn't care less for your wellbeing. 

[herfiehandbag]

48 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Delusional... when sh$t happens it's every person for themselves... 

Or, as the photo posted earlier suggests, everyone and their carry on bags!

 

"Delusional " is perhaps a bit strong though? Mind you I have never been in a plane crash, although I did fly "One-to-Go" and Phuket Air years ago!

Edited March 14 by herfiehandbag

[Skipalongcassidy]

1 hour ago, 2baht said:

Disgraceful!

It is NOT discrimination to require those that require special care to provide it by traveling with a caregiver... this was a setup by a handicapped person who felt slighted because the airlines did not and would not provide him special treatment as he so thought he deserved.  I am handicapped and I follow the rules and have never been denied boarding and have always been treated well... you get back what you put forth... the victim mentality is sickening. 

[2baht]

1 minute ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

I am handicapped and I follow the rules and have never been denied boarding and have always been treated well... you get back what you put forth.

Agree, I am in the same boat. Suwannabhumi  wheelchair service is excellent, check-in to plane door. 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Georgealbert said:

This was British Airways flight  2276  Las Vegas to London, on 8 September 2015, involving a Boeing 777-200E.

 

All the passengers were safely evacuated, but 19 people sustained minor injuries and one other sustained serious injuries, mostly from sliding down the escape chutes.

 

The aircraft was repaired and returned to service in March 2016, 6 months later.

Thank you for the information.

Do you also know how many passengers with wheelchairs were on that plane?

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

I am handicapped and I follow the rules and have never been denied boarding and have always been treated well... you get back what you put forth... the victim mentality is sickening. 

Thank you... I wish you well and safe travels

[realfunster]

1 hour ago, les1 said:

Last year we flew Air Asia to Penang my wife needed a wheelchair I paid 300 baht for this , on arrival no wheelchair dropped out on the tarmac. Eventually wheelchair arrived but no one to push her I was told that I looked fit enough so push it. They offered my money back & it took 12 months with so much pressure obviously 300 baht is neither here nor there but the ordacity of this company shows that they couldn't care less for your wellbeing. 

You’ll know the ins and outs better than me but aren’t these kind of services provided by the airport or another agency and not the actual airline itself ?

 

[realfunster]

1 hour ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

It is NOT discrimination to require those that require special care to provide it by traveling with a caregiver... this was a setup by a handicapped person who felt slighted because the airlines did not and would not provide him special treatment as he so thought he deserved.  I am handicapped and I follow the rules and have never been denied boarding and have always been treated well... you get back what you put forth... the victim mentality is sickening. 

Well put. Like a few others on this thread, the emotional reaction came out first for the poster you responded to, without an effort to understand the situation at hand and make a fair and balanced assessment . Responding to to headline - quite common these days..

[bamnutsak]

"Today we will be using a remote stand, and a bus to the main terminal building."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oesSyvh76g

 

[Georgealbert]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thank you for the information.

Do you also know how many passengers with wheelchairs were on that plane?

Sorry no, because it was not recorded in the FAA investigation report. I also can not find any investigation that notes that disabled passenger affected the evacuation. Hence airlines maybe following the regulators guidelines, such as CAAT guidelines posted before.

 

The British Airways aircraft fire in your picture, reported the following.

 

6 of the 8 exits were not available to be used due to the fire situation.

The evacuation took 2 minutes 32 seconds, more than the 90-second limit stipulated by the FAA, but the 90-second rule applies to an aircraft evacuation when half the available doors are used. The aircraft only had 55% of seats occupied.

 

The opening of the emergency exits was delayed, as the pilot walking through the aircraft to assess the incident was blocked by standing passengers.

 

Despite announcement being made, passengers still crowded the emergency exits before they were opened.

One of the flight crew was nearly knocked out of the door by a pushing passenger when the evacuation first started and had to grab hold of an assist handle in order to stay inside the aircraft.

 

An  elderly woman with a mobility issue was knocked over in the rush, but cabin crew picked her up and get her to an exit.

 

The one seriously injured was a cabin crew member who slid down the emergency slide after water had been sprayed on the slide, from the fire suppression efforts. That crew member suffered a compression fracture of a vertebra and a fracture to the left forearm.

 

 

Edited March 14 by Georgealbert

[Old Croc]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe they don't allow it to guarantee the safety of all other passengers.

Imagine you are in a plane in an emergency, and you are stuck behind a wheelchair. And 50 people behind you also want to get out. And then?

 

As long as the airline make this information public, I don't see a problem.

Not everybody can do everything. It's not perfect, but that's life. 

Could be worse.

Life has already served you lemons and then when you have to travel urgently, you find yourself next to a loud mouthed, ignorant, selfish oaf who believes the world revolves around him. 

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

this was a setup by a handicapped person who felt slighted because the airlines did not and would not provide him special treatment as he so thought he deserved. 

Exactly, none of his four able-bodied travelling companions would agree to be his nominated assistant.   If it wasn't an (obvious) set up , he needs to get new friends.