Nation
Tuesday July 17, 2007

Order to Malaysia Airports and AirAsia: Ease movement of the disabled

Launched: Chan (centre), AirAsia chairman Datuk Pahamin Rejab (fourth from left), Fernandes (fifth from left), Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai (fifth from right), counselor Gu Jing Qi from the Chinese embassy (fourth from right) and Malaysia Airports senior general manager (operations) Datuk Azmi Murad (second from right) at the launch of the inaugural AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Shenzhen, China in Sepang.
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia Airports Berhad and AirAsia have been ordered to thrash out their problems to ensure the disabled community could use the airline with ease.

“I had a dialogue with representatives of the disabled community and fully agree that some kind of facilities should be provided to ease their movement,” said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy.

“I have given instructions that something has to be done; I want to see solutions and want both parties to work things out,” he said, adding that upgrading of facilities at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) had taken place gradually, such as the construction of covered walkways.

He was commenting on the disabled community’s complaints against AirAsia and the LCCT after launching the inaugural AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Shenzhen, China, in Sepang yesterday.

The main complaint by the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group was AirAsia’s refusal to take passengers who were completely immobile, suggesting that the carrier review its policies to provide facilities that were non-discriminatory.

On passengers being stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) due to overbooking of flights by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) last Sunday, Chan said he was waiting for a full explanation from MAS.

AirAsia group CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes, who was present at the launch, explained that the carrier accepted partially paralysed passengers but had no facilities for totally paralysed passengers.

Stating that they would have to change the whole configuration of their planes to accommodate totally paralysed passengers, Fernandes added that it was not feasible.

He said that for such passengers, the aisles and the toilets would have to be bigger.

“For wheelchair-bound passengers, we do not charge them for the wheelchair but take them to the plane and physically carry them into the plane,” he said.

2007/07/17
Minister wants AirAsia to settle wheelchair issue

SEPANG: Settle the problem fast.
This was Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy’s directive to AirAsia and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) over complaints from wheelchair-bound passengers that the low-cost carrier had refused to accommodate them on its flights.

An unhappy Chan said he wanted solutions to the problem — quickly.

The government, he said, felt that all assistance to help disabled air travellers must be extended.

He was met at the launch of AirAsia’s Kuala Lumpur-Shenzhen flight at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal here.
On Sunday, members of the Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport Group staged a peaceful protest at the terminal over the airline’s refusal to accept passengers requiring special assistance.

The group called on the airline to provide facilities for passengers who were immobile and those with limited mobility and for MAHB to ensure all new and old airports were equipped with facilities for the disabled.

AirAsia chief executive Datuk Tony Fernandes, meanwhile, denied that the airline had turned away wheelchair-bound passengers.

He said ground staff would take such passengers to the aircraft and physically carry them onboard.

“We do not even charge for this service and there is certainly no discrimination against them. All they have to do is to inform us in advance of the assistance they need.”

However, he said the airline could not cater to those with total immobility as it did not have the facilities available on full service airlines like suitable toilets, wider aisles and detachable seats.

He said if changes were to be made to cater to this group, it would mean a total reconfiguration of AirAsia planes.

Fernandes said as a budget airline, it had its limitations unlike full service carriers.

“Our position is comparable to hospitals that have various areas of specialisations like those treating heart diseases and bone problems. It is the same for AirAsia. We cannot cater to everyone… we have to be real on what we can or cannot do.”

Fernandes said AirAsia had discussed with MAHB the possibility of providing “ambulifts” to help ferry disabled passengers onboard.

But he said the plan would only be feasible if the airport operator was willing to reduce charges at the terminal.

Fernandes said another possible solution was to hire more staff to handle disabled passengers but the additional costs involved might lead to costlier fares.

Fernandes also announced that passengers aged above 65 no longer needed to pay additional fees to be given priority to board AirAsia planes.

On another matter, Chan said Malaysia Airlines had been directed to submit a full report immediately on the hundreds of passengers who were stranded and delayed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Sunday.

Govt Orders AirAsia, Malaysia Airports To Facilitate Disabled

SEPANG, July 16 (Bernama) — Upset with the difficulties faced by the disabled at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy today ordered Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd and AirAsia Bhd to sort out the matter.

“I am unhappy with this. I want to see solutions,” he told reporters after launching AirAsia’s Kuala Lumpur-Shenzen service here.

Chan said the government felt strongly that some kind of assistance should be given for the disabled to facilitate their travel via LCCT.

“We would like to see AirAsia and Malaysia Airports sit down quickly and sort out the necessary facilitation,” he said.

AirAsia chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes, who was with Chan, denied that the low cost airline turned away wheelchair bound passengers.

In fact, he said, the airline’s ground staff take the disabled to the aircraft and physically carry them onboard.

“We do not even charge for this service and there is certainly no discrimination against them,” he claimed.

But he pointed out that AirAsia cannot cater to those with total immobility as the airline does not have the right facilities for them including the right kind of toilets that a full service airline could provide, wider aisles and detachable seats.

He said the physical limitations of AirAsia aircraft make it near impossible for the airline to cater to those who are totally immobile.

“As a low cost carrier we cannot do that as this will require us to change the whole plane,” he said.

Fernandes said the airline is trying to work out a solution with Malaysia Airports to provide an `ambulift’ that will cost RM1 million.

“But at the moment, we are still arguing with them about charges on use of this terminal compared to the facilities that the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has,” he said.

Unless Malaysia Airports reduces its charges on AirAsia, Fernandes said the lesser-equipped LCCT will not have an ambulift of its own and AirAsia staff will continue carrying these passengers.

“MAS charges totally immobile passengers three seats and have wide-bodied aircraft that can move them easily. We don’t (do that),” he said.

Asked if the only option for this group is full service airlines, he said: “We cannot cater to everyone, but we try to”.

“It breaks my heart to read ‘Now Everyone Can Fly, but not everyone’. But we also have to be real on what we can or can’t do,” he said.

Fernandes said the airline tries to find solutions and has even spoken to Airbus and the engineers to see if it can further facilitate travel for the immobilised, “but it’s near impossible”.

“The last point they (Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group or BEAT) raised was that they don’t think this airport is very friendly for the physically handicapped. I don’t own this airport, ask Malaysia Airports,” he said.

– BERNAMA

Ms. Soawalak Thongkuay forwarded the invitation letter from The Korean Organising Committee of the Disabled People’s International World Assembly to me via email just now. She is the Assistant Regional Development Officer of Disabled People’s International Asia-Pacific Region based in Nonthaburi Thailand.

The invitation letter signed by Chairperson Dr. Ick-Seop Lee requested me to speak about the Independent Living movement in Malaysia in a panel together with other esteemed Independent Living leaders from South Korea, Croatia and Thailand. This is an honour to be invited to speak at this international conference as I just started to work on disability issues very recently - 2005 to be exact.

Now, I need to do 3 things: get a personal assistant; get sponsors to fund the personal assistant’s air ticket, conference fee and food; and work on my presentation. I have up to this weekend to resolve the first 2 matters as the advanced registration has been extended to July 23. Participants registering before that deadline are entitled to a 20% discount on the conference fees. After that, it is a matter of putting together the pieces of the information to make a presentation of the situation in Malaysia.

2007/07/16
‘Now everyone can fly’, except the disabled

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SEPANG: AirAsia may use “Now Everyone Can Fly” as its tagline but not everyone can actually fly with the low-cost carrier.
The airline does not take passengers who are wheel- chair users.

Wheelchair-bound Peter Tan said he couldn’t book tickets through AirAsia’s website because he could not tick the box confirming he did not require special assistance.

“I couldn’t proceed because of it and each time I contacted the call centre, I was told: ‘If you can’t walk. then we can’t take you, It is company policy’,” he said.

Tan was among the 40 members of the Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) who staged a peaceful protest at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here yesterday to express their disappointment with AirAsia’s refusal to take passengers requiring special assistance.
Tan, who is BEAT assistant co-ordinator, said the AirAsia operator at the call centre informed him that if he could not manage the steps of the airplane himself, he had to bring someone to help him.

“Even so, it will still be impossible for us as our carer can’t possibly carry us onboard,” Tan added.

BEAT co-ordinator Christine Lee said there must be some mechanism AirAsia could use to lift passengers up to the aircraft, similar to those used to load luggage and food.

Lee said AirAsia should provide facilities for passengers who were immobile and those with limited mobility.

The group is calling on Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to ensure all new and old airports are equipped with facilities to improve accessibility for the disabled.

An AirAsia spokesman declined to comment on the matter.