Virgin Blue tries to defend wheelchair policy

Virgin Blue is defending its new policy on wheelchair passengers, saying it is necessary to protect airline staff from injuries.

From June 1, Virgin Blue staff will not be allowed to push wheelchairs, leaving passengers to operate mandatory airline wheelchairs themselves.

The airline’s spokeswoman, Heather Jeffery, last night said the airline had produced a more detailed policy on special needs passengers, or “guests”, to take effect this Thursday.

Ms Jeffery denied the policy discriminated against wheelchair users, and said more and better equipment would be available for disabled passengers.

David Craig from Disability Rights Victoria says the policy is part of a trend.

“It’s part of a raft of a number of areas where occupational health and safety has been used as a reason for not providing the kinds, the varieties of assistance and there’s plenty of resources and training material around on how to do that safely,” Mr Craig said.

Virgin Blue says that it will still assist passengers move from their wheelchair to the aircraft seat.

Disability groups however, have reacted angrily to the revised rules, saying they had been told they would have to pay for carers to accompany them on flights.

Women With Disabilities Australia says one of its members has been advised by Virgin of a policy change which would mean that people who could not evacuate themselves in an emergency would not be allowed to fly alone.

The airline’s policy states that its staff will not be able to help passengers needing assistance in getting to and from the toilet.

It also states that from Thursday Virgin Blue would require disabled passengers in some circumstances where they did not have a carer travelling with them to arrange for their own “assistance person” at departure and arrival points to help them on and off the aircraft.

The federal Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes, said yesterday the new policy, as he understood it, was “a major backward step” and an issue which the commission would take up with aviation authorities.

He said the move had been taken “without any consultation to my knowledge with the disability organisations or my commission”.

Liberal Federal MP Mr Pat Farmer, member for the south-western Sydney seat of Macarthur, said if the airline did not change its policy he was prepared to push for legislative change.

“I am furious about this … This is cost-cutting gone mad,” Mr Farmer said.