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Barry Batchelor/PA

EasyJet in French court for refusing disabled passengers

In one of the cases involved, a woman who was travelling to her son’s funeral was not allowed to fly because she was unaccompanied.

EASYJET GOES TO court in France this week to fight two separate legal challenges by disabled passengers who it refused to fly, in the latest accusations of discrimination against the budget airline.

The British company is being challenged over its refusal to allow two female wheelchair-users – one of whom was travelling to her son’s funeral in Portugal – to fly unaccompanied.

The airline has argued that it acted for safety reasons, and in compliance with British and European laws.

Appeal

The first case, to be heard tomorrow in the Paris appeals court, dates back to March 2010 when Marie-Patricia Hoarau boarded an EasyJet plane from Paris to the French Riviera city of Nice.

Hoarau, who has been in a wheelchair for decades following a mountain bike accident, had travelled from Nice to the French capital the previous day without any problems.

But this time round, cabin crew asked her whether she could get to an emergency exit on her own. When she said no, they told her she had to be accompanied by someone.

A pilot travelling on the same flight agreed to step in and sit next to the 39-year-old, but the airline’s management said this was not adequate and ordered the captain to disembark Hoarau.

Hoarau later took another flight, saying she was “humiliated and rejected”, but she decided to take EasyJet and the captain to court after contacting France’s disabled association APF.

In May 2012, a French court let the captain off but fined the airline €5,000, and ordered it to give Hoarau an additional 5,000 euros in damages.

The British company appealed the verdict, saying it was in compliance with British law when it refused to let her board for security reasons.

Allegations of discrimination

The second case, to be heard on Thursday in the Paris suburb of Bobigny, involves another wheelchair user who was refused onto a flight from Paris because she was travelling alone.

She was forced to buy a last-minute return ticket with another company to get to her son’s funeral in Portugal.

This is not the first time that EasyJet has been taken to court over allegations of discrimination.

In January last year, a French court fined the airline €70,000 for refusing to allow three wheelchair users to board its planes between November 2008 and January 2009, in what a lawyer for the plaintiffs said was a “landmark ruling”.

- © AFP 2013.

Read: Ryanair to appeal ruling that calendar ads were “discriminatory”>

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    Mute jim bowe
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:18 PM

    Disgusting behaviour by EasyJet !

    207
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    Mute Antonov Merinov
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:31 PM

    I assume that aviation regulations on this are very clear.
    But two years ago I flew with my wheelchair bound mum and unfortunately we sat 3 rows apart.
    Nobody ever asked any questions.

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    Mute MPA
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    Dec 15th 2013, 10:59 PM

    One would assume the regulations are clear and unless airlines have their own specific arrangements for wheelchair bound persons then one would imagine for safety reasons they should be accompanied – it’s probably in the airlines travel guidelines. I fly Easyjet all the time ex-Geneva and have no issues with the airline – when it comes to PC we need to cop on – not everyone can be equal – what next, wheelchair bound persons suing for not being employed as scaffolders.

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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:22 AM

    You might care to read the story , a pilot offered to sit with the passenger but this wasn’t accepted , FFs

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    Mute Frank Jones
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:52 AM

    I didn’t understand this bit. Surely the pilot should have been sitting closely to the pointy end if the plane, and don’t call me Surely

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    Mute alan egan
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    Dec 16th 2013, 9:43 AM

    Your a ass hole. MPA .

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    Mute Ailbhe O'Nolan
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:20 PM

    After being fined 70,000 euros, you would think they’d learn!

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    Mute Luke Collins
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:47 PM

    EasyJet don’t have a leg to stand on with those policies… Hope these passengers get the compensation they deserve after been insulted and humiliated by a cowboy airline.

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    Mute Luke Sullivan
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:27 PM

    There needs to be a standardised policy across all airlines – all singing from the same hymn sheet – so everyone knows where they stand. Assuming it doesn’t already exist.

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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:32 PM

    Great pun if intended!

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    Mute Shit you not
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:49 PM

    People complain a lot about Ryanair, .I happen to like Ryanair myself, but apparently easy jet make them look like Saudi airlines.
    They are rude and in general a horrible airline to fly with.

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    Mute John
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    Dec 15th 2013, 8:59 PM

    Have you ever flown Saudia?

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    Mute Rob
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:30 PM

    Don’t fly with the fockers that will sort them out same as other ‘budget ‘airlines.

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    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
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    Dec 15th 2013, 7:48 PM

    They use Airbus, not Fokkers

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    Mute Catherine Sims
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    Dec 15th 2013, 9:00 PM

    We have the Irish government refusing a woman with Down syndrome a passport for no good reason . Seems to me the disabled are just easy targets for discrimination. Most don’t have the huge vocal lobby groups or the political clout .

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    Mute Dee4
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    Dec 15th 2013, 9:06 PM

    An odd side effect I have come across is that disabled people can find it difficult to open a bank account, if for obvious reasons they dont have a passport or drivers licence its next to impossible to open a bank account…silly situation

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    Mute Sharon O'Brien
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    Dec 16th 2013, 1:10 AM

    Dee thats the most ridiculous comment iv come across to date…please explain, enlighten me as to how you figure that?

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    Mute Rob
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    Dec 15th 2013, 8:46 PM

    Was waiting to see when an ‘aerosexual’ would cop the focker word .HaHa.

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    Mute Peter Richardson
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    Dec 15th 2013, 9:37 PM

    HardJet

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    Mute Bill
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    Dec 16th 2013, 7:07 AM

    In an emergency evacuation situation cabin crew are instructed to get all other passengers off before attempting to move a handicapped person hence the reason for travelling accompanied

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    Mute John
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    Dec 16th 2013, 8:25 AM

    What if someone had a serious heart condition, back problem which could not be seen but would prevent them helping a wheelchair bound passenger could they act as the accompanying person?

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    Mute enda1... begrudgers0
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    Dec 16th 2013, 5:15 AM

    Some people would literally expect an airline to collect you from your house drive you to the airport then carry you to the plane. Airline are responsible for driving from a to b and nothing else

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