Qantas rejects 5 year old cerebral palsy passenger
Reports from Townsville say that legal action is being considered against Qantas by a Townsville mother after the airline refused to carry her 5yr old daughter, Kate who has cerebral palsy, because her wheelchair was 12cm too high.
Donna Pemberton, a mother-of-three, said she would seek advice today about taking action in either the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission or the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal.
It appears that Kate was not allowed to board a Townsville to Brisbane flight last Monday because her wheelchair was 96cm tall and could not be collapsed. Mrs Pemberton said “I find this totally unbelievable that you can’t get a five-year-old’s wheelchair on a flight,” adding, “It’s one of the smallest wheelchairs you’ll ever see and if she can’t get on the plane, what do adults do?”
Mrs Pemberton said that she and Kate who is unable to speak, were preparing to fly to Brisbane so Kate could take part in a camp run by the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland, but the situation was saved, as they flew on Virgin Blue, who it appears do not have such restrictions on wheelchairs.
Margaret Scott, the head of the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland, said she would seek an explanation from Qantas and a Qantas spokesman said last night the airline’s wheelchair restrictions were “well publicised” when they were revised in December last year but confirmed the company would investigate the matter.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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