EasyJet to defend policy on wheelchair users in court
EasyJet will today appeal against a fine imposed by the French courts after it refused to carry a disabled passenger who was travelling alone.
The airline was fined €5,000 by a French court in 2010 and ordered to pay €5,000 damages to wheelchair-bound French passenger Marie-Patricia Hoarau.
EasyJet had refused to carry Hoarau when she admitted she couldn’t get to an emergency exit on her own, even though a pilot travelling on the same flight had agreed to sit next to her.
The airline insists it was complying with UK and European safety regulations and its appeal against the ruling will be heard in Paris today.
EasyJet will also be forced defend its stance on the carriage of unaccompanied disabled passengers at separate hearing in Paris on Thursday. A second disabled passenger will tell the court she was forced to buy a last-minute ticket with another airline to get to her son’s funeral in Portugal after easyJet allegedly refused to allow her on its flight from Paris unaccompanied.
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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