A wheelchair-bound woman with no limbs has sued Air France for discrimination, alleging she was kept off a flight by a gate agent who told her a “torso cannot possibly fly on its own.”
Adele Price, 42, a British citizen, sued the airline in Manhattan federal court seeking unspecified damages.
Price, who was born without limbs because her mother took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy, said in the suit she is able to manipulate a wheelchair and has traveled by air many times.
The suit states that she had bought a ticket in 2000 for travel between Manchester, England and New York. After Price had checked her luggage, she alleged that she was stopped by an Air France agent who told her that “a head, one bottom and a torso cannot possibly fly on its own.”
Price said in the suit that Air France let her take another flight to New York but only after she was able to get a companion to go with her. However, Price said she had to pay for the companion’s airfare and lodging.
She said the airline also made it difficult for her to return from John F. Kennedy Airport to Britain by requiring her to get opinions from four US doctors certifying she was able to fly alone.
A spokeswoman for Air France had no immediate comment.
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By: seahawk - 15th August 2004 at 15:29
1: That’s where Flight Attendants are for!
2: That’s where Flight Attendants are for!
3: An accident? What sort of? That accident could happen to anyone.
4: Justice works slowly!
5: What are you talking about?!
1. no. In an emergency you can not expect FAs to neglect their duties towards the other passengers just to help this person.
2. Again questionable. Who says that FAs are trained to help her in the correct way. Which is also in regard to point 3. What is if they are helping here and by accident the person falls. Would the airline not risk another court case if they would use untrained personal to perform those duties.
3. Accidents that happen while the FAs are helping the person. Helping her on the toilet or something.
4+5. I just find it suspicious that the case was brought to the court in the US. I mean it was a French airline and a british airport. So why not go to court in europe ?? Could it be that this thing only went to court in the US because of the much greater compensation she can expect there.
Don´t get me wrong, I really think that things went very wrong with the Air France jerk and the airline was not right to handle it the way it did. However I see nothing wrong with asking for a doctors to check if she can fly alone.
Perhaps she should have told the airliner earlier about her physical condition, so that they would have been prepared and all problems could have been worked out before hand.
By: andrewm - 15th August 2004 at 10:50
so you are suggesting disabled people should not fly?? Utter rubbish!
No what i meant to really get at is that the airline were quite reasonable in my opinion in asking a companion to travel with her to help her inflight if needed.
The AF person wasnt tactful, which is something definetly needed in the circumstances.
By: skypilot62 - 15th August 2004 at 09:07
Forgive my cynical nature but this has a bit of a whiff of the ridiculous about it. I notice Steve’s tagline is kipper-eater, does that mean this is a red herring? Perhaps a link to the original story would be useful? I say this as I find it unbelievable that someone could ever be quite so cruel and crass. However I guess I should not be surprised in this day and age.
Regarding the debate on Seahawk’s points:
Thalidomide victims are not usually completely limbless, although they do have greatly reduced limb movement and size, but nonetheless these underdeveloped limbs can and usually do serve the individual with some sort of use. Just check out some of the acheivments such people have accomplished. Therefore, they do have a large amount of independence and ability to accomplish a surprisingly large amount of everyday tasks.
Granted, during an emergency they would need extra help, but then so would an injured person, an OAP, cerebal palsy sufferer etc. Hence why such people are not permitted to sit at emergency exit rows, but otherwise can travel without any restriction. Cabin crew are not required nor would they need to constantly monitor and assist this lady, nor do I strongly suspect that she would want such attention. I’m also sure the lady in question is more than capable of attending to her own toiletry needs.
Of course, without knowing the exact extent of this lady’s disability some of what I have written is conjecture but the parts regading travel are not.
By: KabirT - 15th August 2004 at 07:48
so you are suggesting disabled people should not fly?? Utter rubbish!
By: andrewm - 14th August 2004 at 22:56
To an extent I would agree with Seahawk. FLight Attendances, say in a ditching, are to man the exits to make sure people use the slides without falling off or putting a big hole in them with their high heels. They wouldnt have time to help her get out.
Also depending on circumstances Flight Attendants might not be able to fit her safety mask for her. Some passengers might not want to help because they are ignorant dheads.
In Number 3, if she had an accident whilst by herself, say in the toilet, she would no doubt sue for the flight attendants not helping her when people who are disabled usually bite peopls heads off who offer to help saying they can do it themselves when they cant but want to try. Im not saying this is exactly what could happen and im not saying she does or doesnt like help either.
Would not agree with seahawk on the why only reporting now. The justice system, from personal experience but different issue, takes AGES no matter who or what is involved. She could have also been hospitalised after for another reason or something which disabled her to report it and go to court as soon as the return trip was over.
Please dont think i dont liked disabled people as I do and have done voluntary work in Belfast with disabled people. Im not trying to discriminate or anything by this post just giving my opinion on the original post.
By: Jeanske_SN - 14th August 2004 at 22:15
I think the man was right, but not polite.
How should the woman fasten the seat belts in an emergency ?
How should the woman go to the toilet during the flight without help ?
Who says that the airline would have not alos been sued if the woman would have had an accident while flying alone and the airline not amking sure that she is capable?
And why does she go to court now, when the incident happened in 2000 ?
Could it be that some one is trying to make money from the current anti frnch tendencies in the US ??
1: That’s where Flight Attendants are for!
2: That’s where Flight Attendants are for!
3: An accident? What sort of? That accident could happen to anyone.
4: Justice works slowly!
5: What are you talking about?!
By: seahawk - 14th August 2004 at 21:09
I think the man was right, but not polite.
How should the woman fasten the seat belts in an emergency ?
How should the woman go to the toilet during the flight without help ?
Who says that the airline would have not alos been sued if the woman would have had an accident while flying alone and the airline not amking sure that she is capable?
And why does she go to court now, when the incident happened in 2000 ?
Could it be that some one is trying to make money from the current anti frnch tendencies in the US ??
By: T5 - 14th August 2004 at 19:44
And that the employee will be fired!
I’d like to think that this employee has been fired already.
Surely, a woman without limbs has just as much chance of escaping an aircraft wreckage as an old aged pensioner who is wheeled onto the aircraft at the departure airport. I can’t see the problem?
By: Jeanske_SN - 14th August 2004 at 19:19
It’s a total disgrace. I wish she will win her trial.
And that the employee will be fired!
By: Nasir - 14th August 2004 at 17:31
Most of all, I wonder what kind of a conscience does one have to utter something like “a head, one bottom and a torso cannot possibly fly on its own” to someone with such a condition. Even if in extreme duress I was made to say something this horrid to another person, my own words would haunt my thoughts for the rest of my life…
By: Hand87_5 - 14th August 2004 at 08:34
It’s a total disgrace. I wish she will win her trial.
By: airband1 - 14th August 2004 at 07:54
In my opinion that is disgraceful it’s not as though it’s this ladies fault she’s like this I hope she gets a good compensation claim from them
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August 14, 2004 at 4:48 am