tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post5032386194032655895..comments2024-03-16T16:44:18.220-07:00Comments on Bad Cripple: Business Discrimination Worries: Easy Jetwilliam Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-61287903329519566262012-09-20T03:42:28.952-07:002012-09-20T03:42:28.952-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.iffatalihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08397610479494624458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-41137728797330094492011-02-23T09:28:16.540-08:002011-02-23T09:28:16.540-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Private Jethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10780692466248766899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-55242948579966860542010-09-13T08:27:12.681-07:002010-09-13T08:27:12.681-07:00Yeah, EasyJet gave me some trouble traveling too b...Yeah, EasyJet gave me some trouble traveling too before I got a lighter <a href="http://www.aeroflowinc.com/patients/mobility/power_wheelchairs.cfm" title="power wheelchair" rel="nofollow">power wheelchair</a>. Now I can travel more easily and not be discriminated against for my wheel chair being too heavy.Mark Mileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13358263355988243360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-52412842210438169482010-08-30T07:10:21.324-07:002010-08-30T07:10:21.324-07:00Matthew, I get the business model of discount airl...Matthew, I get the business model of discount airlines. We have plenty of them in the USA. At issue is the targeting of a specific population of people. A population I may add that is insignificant in terms of numbers of people flown. The cost of handling a small number of power wheelchair cannot cost much. Imagine if you will Easy Jet decided to charge people who weigh over 200 pounds an extra fee. There would be outrage. Where is the same out rage when discussing power wheelchair users?william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-56048316411773018192010-08-30T06:35:25.852-07:002010-08-30T06:35:25.852-07:00The problem is with the whole business model of lo...The problem is with the whole business model of low-budget airlines like EasyJet. They are based on selling you just a seat on a plane on a short-haul flight - no meal and no extras, and with some of them you have to pay per item of luggage you check in. It's about keeping fares and costs to the absolute minimum. They would probably argue about safety, but the real reason is that having to shift what is effectively freight, such as bulky power chairs, would require lifting equipment and training of staff, etc., and they are worrying about it compromising their business model. The UK does have disability legislation; whether this policy breaches it would have to be tested in the courts.Matthew Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16675719484819810707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-70974032696040537062010-08-28T05:41:47.979-07:002010-08-28T05:41:47.979-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-59140489462234541432010-08-28T05:22:48.729-07:002010-08-28T05:22:48.729-07:00Untoward Lady - Yes, the Greyhound policy stinks, ...Untoward Lady - Yes, the Greyhound policy stinks, but then in my opinion, so does Greyhound. If you live near a big city, have you checked out Bolt Bus, Mega Bus (which I believe is run by Greyhound), or what's known around NYC as the Chinatown bus?Becshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057614535554183360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-7554186586947859602010-08-27T19:52:06.147-07:002010-08-27T19:52:06.147-07:00Someone should pass a similar law like that for bu...Someone should pass a similar law like that for busses and trains. I'm too poor to fly and Greyhound's policy is that you need to notify them 48 hours in advance if you have *any* disability and want to ride.<br /><br />... a policy which I routinely ignore.<br /><br />Yet that is only possible since I have the privilege of not requiring a wheelchair for my mobility. Greyhound just doesn't run a completely accessible fleet.<br /><br />What does worry me is that, while I don't need any special equipment on the part of Greyhound and the extent of my required accommodations are "don't discriminate against me and make sure I'm safe from harassment" I'm afraid that the sometimes disruptive nature of my tourettes might make bus line employees reluctant to carry me.<br /><br />The rule requiring me to register, I'm afraid, might be turned against me because I do have a disability and I didn't register therefore I didn't uphold my end of the bargain in some bizaro sense and thus it's perfectly okay for them to deny me boarding.<br /><br />That, and I've seen Greyhound require assistants for people who are perfectly independent such as a few months ago when a Deaf woman was initially denied boarding because she was deaf and alone (enough other passengers raised a stink and the bus driver relented).The Untoward Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18035737424208837888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-10046382730179442612010-08-27T13:00:32.683-07:002010-08-27T13:00:32.683-07:00When the whole EasyJet situation started to get pr...When the whole EasyJet situation started to get press, I put a link to an article on my Facebook about it. I ended up seeing many disheartening comments defending EasyJet on my own Facebook page. <br /><br />I HATE flying. Metal hardware, insulin pump, cane, wheelchair/or scooter and service dog seems to be more than the TSA can reasonably handle. TSA seems to ignore their own rules so now I carry a copy with me. <br /><br />By time I get to dealing with the gate agents, I'm usually throughly exhausted and significantly less patient. I recently flew to Las Vegas and back and going out I took Jetblue and everything went sooo smoothly. My return flight was with Spirit and it was a nightmare. They tried to bump me from the flight because someone had changed my seat assignment (to an aisle seat that I had no hope of fitting in with my service dog) and at check-in they refused to change it back when this was discovered because the (non-disabled) person they gave my bulkhead seat to had checked in online. They refused to deal with it until I was at the gate, the whole ordeal turned into a full-blown nightmare involving my scooter too. The gate agent I was dealing with told e she couldn't page the CRO when I asked to speak to the flights CRO because she wasn't in yet. The CRO was finally called when they said they couldn't even change my seat to another bulkhead seat because by then everyone ha checked in and they couldn't just change peoples seats. The CRO was rude and most unhelpful and claimed she was new when other management showed up and I told them that she said my only choice was to fly standby on the next flight. I won't go on but it was the worst flying experience I've had to date and I'm a fairly frequent flyer. If I had not been able to bring up a copy of the ACAA on my iphone I doubt I would have gotten on any flights that day. They plane left nearly an 30 minutes late and I'm sure many were pissed with me. However my connecting flight (also Spirit) was equally bad and lucky for me a number of other to be passengers made a scene during the boarding process or I wouldn't have gotten home anytime soon, only one flight to my local airport per day.<br /><br />I took flip videos and pictures of most of what went down. I planned to write a letter or possibly file a federal complaint. But you know what, I am so sick of writing letters, complaining, when nobody seems to hold people accountable. I'm tired. Obviously I won't fly with Spirit ever again, but unless I suddenly develop a lot of free time, this time I'm opting out. <br /><br />I prefer to be in the car over driving. Back when I was using a powerchair for a while I flew with it to Florida one. It got damaged to the point it would not be usable without fixing. I had to get a rental (thank goodness that was even available) but arranging all of that up discovery and getting them to pay for some of it was so maddening. Plus is was my first time traveling with a service dog and a chair. It's not a great way to start a vacation and after that I decided 10 hours of less equals car.<br /><br />I used to love air travel until I started needing all sorts of mobility equipment. I hope that something so transparent as what EasyJet is doing cannot be done here in the US.Courthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01415333124217381665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-10936422652920505952010-08-27T08:47:39.146-07:002010-08-27T08:47:39.146-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13070297384173508509noreply@blogger.com