Monday, February 20, 2012

In India, woman with cerebral palsy denied permission to fly by SpiceJet

from NDTV in India:
KOLKATA, India -- In yet another instance of discrimination against differently-abled people, a woman was offloaded from a SpiceJet flight from Kolkata to Goa on Sunday.

Jeeja Ghosh (pictured), a teacher at Kolkata's Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy and a frequent flier across the country and abroad, was offloaded because the pilot said she was not fit to fly. She has travelled alone in the past, but the pilot did not allow her to do it this time. (Comment)

The 42-year-old Jeeja Ghosh, who has lived independently in the UK as a student, is outraged at the incident.

Speaking to NDTV, Ms Ghosh said that such people "do not deserve to hold the job". She demanded that a show-cause notice be issued against such people.

Ms Ghosh said that other passengers "tried to convince the pilot to let me fly, but he was adamant".

Demanding action against the pilot, she has filed a complaint saying the experience was not just humiliating for her but for the entire community of differently-abled people who are, however, completely able to travel by themselves.

The airline later issued a statement apologising for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. The airline expressed regret for the incident, and said that the matter will be investigated and action taken.