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

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.

Sunday July 15, 2007

Disabled protest against AirAsia’s ‘discriminatory’ practices

By PAUL CHOO

SEPANG: More than 20 disabled and wheelchair-bound members of the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) held a protest against AirAsia for its refusal to take passengers who were completely immobile.

The protesters headed by BEAT coordinator Christine Lee, and assistant coordinators V. Murugeswaran and Peter Tan, demanded that AirAsia review its policies and take reasonable steps to ensure facilities and services provided at the LCCT were non-discriminatory.

Lee said that unlike KLIA, the LCCT does not incorporate aerobridges, which allow easier access for passengers to board planes.

“Passengers are instead required to walk up a flight of boarding stairs – a daunting task when one is disabled from the waist down,” she added.

Lee said that when booking AirAsia tickets online, a separate icon would appear on the website asking if the ticket purchaser would require “special assistance”.

“If you clicked “yes”, then you won’t be able to proceed with your booking.

“That’s when I called AirAsia’s call centre, and was told that they were unable to accept passengers who are completely immobile.

“This is even stipulated in Air Asia’s terms and conditions!” she alleged.

Lee also said that AirAsia charged RM12 for renting a wheelchair, which a passenger could use to go from the ticketing counter to the departure hall.

“One would then have to go from the check-in gate to the aircraft without the wheelchair, which is quite absurd,” she added.

Murugeswaran pointed out that AirAsia also stipulated that the carriage of persons with limited mobility was subject to whether they were able to climb the boarding stairs unaided or aided.

“Passengers who are unable to board the stairs without any assistance would be requested to travel with a carer or companion.

“This is blatantly discriminating, unfair and unacceptable. We want to be independent and not have to rely on other people to chaperon us when travelling,” he said, adding that nothing has been despite BEAT holding a dialogue with AirAsia on the matter more than two years ago.

During the protest, BEAT also urged Malaysia Airports Berhad to ensure all new and old airports in the country were equipped with facilities to improve accessibility to disabled passengers.

When contacted, an AirAsia spokesperson said they were unable to comment on the matter for the moment.