NEWS


Calls have been made to increase the cap on compensation payments by airlines when wheelchairs are damaged in transit. Below: Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson


Flight accessibility task group set to make recommendations in July


Ian Taylor


The government-commissioned Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group is poised to publish recommendations on making flying more accessible. The group, set up in


November and chaired by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, is due to report by July, having been asked to examine “disabled people’s experience of aviation” and develop “practical and achievable actions”. Grey-Thompson said in March that the group was whittling down a list of 144 recommendations. The Department for Transport


(DfT) has said it will respond to the report and “take account of the recommendations if we’re able to secure legislative space”. Abta is part of the group,


and public affairs director Luke travelweekly.co.uk STORY TOP


Petherbridge noted in April: “If we ask for big expensive solutions, it’s not going to happen.” However, a DfT spokesperson


said: “There are ways to improve this without an impact on costs. The intention is to focus resources where they’re most needed.” Separately, the CAA is


due to launch a consultation on airlines’ carriage of wheelchairs and the rate at which these are damaged. An industry source noted: “Certain airlines and airports are worse in this


regard. The consultation will shine a light on this and whether the CAA can do some targeted enforcement.” Anna Bowles, CAA head of


consumer policy and enforcement, told an Abta Travel Law Seminar last month that the CAA uses “reputational regulation” to drive airports’ compliance on accessibility. But she noted: “We have


enforcement powers.” There were 4.6 million requests


for assistance at UK airports in the last full year, and an industry source said: “The UK has seen a big spike in assistance requests since Covid. International data shows the UK is a bit of an outlier [on this]. It’s important to make sure assistance is targeted to those who need it.” Agents and operators called for


greater uniformity in meeting the accessibility needs of travellers. Ben Kirby, chief executive of


tour operator Enable Holidays, said: “We would like more standardisation, so everyone gets the same level of service. Every airport assistance team is different.” He also called for increased


compensation when wheelchairs are damaged, saying: “The cap on how much passengers can claim from an airline if their chair is damaged nowhere near covers the cost.” However, Kirby added: “We


probably don’t highlight the successes


we have, and there are a lot. We have customers who thought they could never travel again, and they’ve just booked their third holiday with us.” Limitless Travel founder Angus


Drummond suggested the law around accessibility does not go far enough, saying: “We had to cancel a whole trip because a ferry company couldn’t fix a broken lift. We had customers who had waited months, even years, to go on holiday.” Belfast-based InteleTravel agent


Caroline Harris, who runs Air & Ocean Travel and has a son with hypotonic cerebral palsy, said about 75% of her clients have some form of accessibility requirements. She said there is a lack of education


“around hidden disabilities” at airports, where gate staff may think, ‘He can walk, so what’s the problem?’” Bowles advised agents and


operators: “Don’t make assumptions


– ask what a customer’s needs are.” i ‘Airports needing to improve’, page 48


12 JUNE 2025 5


PICTURES: Shutterstock/AnnGaysorn, Featureflash Photo Agency


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