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A 38-year-old paraplegic woman was ordered off an EasyJet flight last Sunday because she was unaccompanied.
Marie-Patricia Hoarau was able to check in, proceed through departure and finally board the aircraft at a Paris airport before she was told she could not remain on the aircraft.
Ms Hoarau, who lives in Fréjus in south-east France, had made the flight to Paris from Nice without any incident. It was only on the return trip that she was told she could not travel.
“I checked in normally, I only had hand luggage and even got assistance in boarding the plane,” she told AFP. “Everything went as normal.”
She added: “But once all the other passengers were seated, one of the stewards told me that they could not let me stay on the plane because I was unaccompanied.
“One passenger, who said she was a senior British Airways air crew staff, said that she would happily volunteer to be my official companion.”
This was not enough for the EasyJet crew, who insisted that she get off the plane - “to the booing of fellow passengers” - and register properly.
‘Sincerely sorry’
Once off the plane she checked in again, with a passenger on the next flight volunteering to be her official companion.
Ms Hoarau said she regularly flies on her own to Paris to see family, and has never had such a problem.
In a statement Easyjet said it was “sincerely sorry” that Ms Hoarau had been removed from the flight.
However, the UK-based budget airline added that it had to conform to European regulations stating that airlines must be able to evacuate an aircraft in 90 seconds, and that as a result “passengers in wheelchairs have to be accompanied.”
France’s junior minister for transport, Dominique Bussereau, has “demanded explanations” from EasyJet.
Ms Hoarau has registered a complaint with French anti-discrimination watchdog HALDE.
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Comments (5)
security
I think is for security reasons not to let the woman on the jet not on prejudice.
discrimination
Surely it is just Easy Jet's way of maximising profit, i.e. one passenger becomes two in an instant. Common sense in interpretation of the law exists so far on all other airlines, a financial jobsworth somewhere has seen how to make profit from a situation and infringed disability issues at the same time - more fool that person. They have opened a can of disabled worms which will fight them to the death over this. Disabled travelers have fought hard for the few rights they have and an accountANT with a short black moustach will not succeed in interfering with those rights. Bad publicity for Easy Jet, disabled people have extended families too, people do remember who treats us well and who doesn't.
EasyJet
This is disgusting. I thought France stood tall on equal rights for all?
Vive la France ?
Jim Quinn, why do you say vive la france ? This is from a non-french aircraft .. seems like the pretty old and boring french bashing again.
France's junior minister of transport (now, junior minister ?! thats your French bashing story) is looking into it. Unfortunately too many people/employees rely on stupid rules rather than logic as it should have happened in thhis case.
Easy Jet paraplegia
What arrogance - to even deny somebody already on board could not accompany her, especially when that person was an experienced air hostess. Vive La France!! I am fit and well, but I am now reluctant to travel easyjet. What prejudicial cheek!!
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