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BA criticised by equality watchdog
Britain’s equality watchdog has criticised British Airways for its treatment of disabled passengers after an actor launched legal action against the airline for alleged damage to her wheelchair.
Chris Holmes, disability commissioner on the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said airlines should cover the full cost of damage they cause to wheelchairs and mobility devices rather than use the existing weight-based formula for calculating compensation.
Actor Athena Stevens is taking legal action against BA and London City Airport after her £25,000 wheelchair was damaged on a work trip to Glasgow last October. The Guardian said it understood neither BA nor London City Airport has admitted liability for the damage to the wheelchair.
Referring to her case Lord Holmes, a Paralympic gold medalist, told the Guardian that disabled people were often deterred from flying due to fears of loss or damage to their mobility equipment.
He said airlines had a ‘moral responsibility’ to stop applying the Montreal Convention limit on compensation for baggage to disabled passengers’ mobility equipment.
BA said it was seeking a suitable resolution with Stevens and told the Guardian it took the needs of those with reduced mobility ‘extremely seriously’, and exceeded international rules over compensation where it was responsible for damage.
BA is the official airline of both Team GB for the Olympics and the national Paralympic team in Brazil this summer. Lord Holmes questioned whether it would apply the same treatment to athletes.
London City said it had been communicating with Ms Stevens to try to resolve the situation but due to legal reasons it could not comment further.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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