Thomson tells blind couple they can’t travel alone
Two blind friends have been told by Thomson Holidays that they need a chaperone to fly to Majorca as they won’t be able to see the safety demonstration.
Lauren Wigglesworth, 27, and Stephen Sherwood, 24, had booked the trip to the C’an Picafort resort in Palma leaving May 8 but when they filled out a disability form in late April, the company changed its mind and said they couldn’t go.
But Lauren’s mother Dawn, 50, told the Daily Mail that she flagged up her daughter and Stephen’s condition when she booked the £538 five-night half-board holiday.
Miss Wiggleworth, who is studying psychotherapy at Salford University, suffered mid-facial disfigurement in the womb because of complications with her mother’s pregnancy when hormones stopped being produced.
The condition, which is genetic, left Lauren blind from birth.
Lauren told the Mail: "I have spoken to other blind people who said they were shown how to put on the life jacket and explained the plane instructions before they even boarded. So what is it about us that means they can’t?"
A Thomson spokesman said: ‘Thomson is sorry to hear of Ms Wigglesworth’s disappointment at not being able to travel to Majorca.
"Both Ms Wigglesworth and her partner completed a special assistance form, in which they stated they would need assistance to complete a number of safety related actions, such as putting on a lifejacket, on board the aircraft.
"These requirements are taken from the Department of Transport’s Code of Practice that has been confirmed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, to which Thomson and every other UK airline must adhere.
"Unfortunately, as Ms Wigglesworth and her partner are not able to complete these without assistance, we are not able to allow them to travel unaccompanied.
"We have therefore offered Ms Wigglesworth a full refund or the option to add a passenger to her booking who could assist her and her partner on their trip."
Diane
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