Disabled passengers
Thread Starter
Disabled passengers
How incompetent are airlines? This story is about Virgin but they are all just as guilty. Virgin reduced the width of the aisle and now there aisle wheelchairs don't fit. I can well imagine that the commercial department didn't bother speaking to any other department before they changed the cabin. The only way things change for the disabled on aircraft is to legislate a higher standard of care.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-...egic/103928010
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-...egic/103928010
Moderator
I can well imagine that the commercial department didn't bother speaking to any other department before they changed the cabin.
Ah, that would be probably not quite correct. The commercial folks might require a change to the cabin configuration but that would then be processed through Tech Services. There is very little likelihood that a configuration change would not have addressed aisle width considerations. More to the point, for decades and decades, there has been a specific regulatory requirement for maintaining specified minimum aisle widths.
I suggest that there is rather more to the story that what is public domain at the moment.
Ah, that would be probably not quite correct. The commercial folks might require a change to the cabin configuration but that would then be processed through Tech Services. There is very little likelihood that a configuration change would not have addressed aisle width considerations. More to the point, for decades and decades, there has been a specific regulatory requirement for maintaining specified minimum aisle widths.
I suggest that there is rather more to the story that what is public domain at the moment.
Thread Starter
Very true but what about talking to Cabin Services? I once said to Jane Hrdlicka when she was Jetstar's CEO that the airline did not do disabled passengers very well. She agreed and then proceeded to do nothing about it. That this occurred at Virgin under her leadership is no surprise.
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Moderator
Totally guessing here - if the handling at the destination were subcontracted out, it could be as simple as a failure in QA communications. If the subcontractor doesn't know of the change, the end play is pretty inevitable ?
Whenever I've flown with someone in a wheelchair, they put them in the front row or close to it so it usually doesn't matter, but I guess that doesn't happen always.
Squawk, flew Qantaslink A320 Darwin - Perth return recently, spouse needed a wheelchair to get to the aircraft, was dropped at the aircraft door on the jetway, at the other end aircraft was on the tarmac and climbed the stairs, she's not totally imobile, just a bit of a struggle, seated row 3 one way 6 the other, first to board, last off. Couldn't fault the service, was excellent.
