‘You might dismantle the plane!’

'Did you hear the one about the quadriplegic who dismantled the aeroplane?' No? Me neither.

Although it might sound like a bad joke, it was recently reported that a passenger, who is paralysed from the chest down, was refused boarding to a flight from Belfast to London because he had a wheelchair repair kit, containing spanners and a wheel nut, in his hand luggage which, according to Airport staff, he might use to ‘dismantle the plane’.

Although the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 do not yet extend to Northern Ireland – presumably a matter for our devolved Assembly – the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 remains in force with a requirement for service providers to make ‘reasonable adjustment’ for people with disabilities.

A ‘reasonable adjustment’ might have been to permit the traveller to transport his tool kit in the hold.  The circumstances were such that, given the time constraints, this was not practicable.

The customer missed his flight and was rightfully aggrieved. His partner highlighted the issue via social media. The Airport did, however, acknowledge its failings, apologise to their customer and undertake to review its procedures. It is further reported that the Airport has agreed to make a charitable donation in the passenger’s name.

As a service provider, what reasonable adjustments could you make to accommodate people with disabilities?

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