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10/03/2010

Airline apology over hearing dog row

EasyJet have been forced to apologise after airline staff asked a passenger to prove that she was deaf before she could board her flight.

Lesley Stewart, from Jedburgh, says easyJet check-in staff at Gatwick airport demanded that she prove her deafness before they would let her on the plane to Edinburgh with her hearing dog, Molly.

The 49-year-old said: “To be asked to prove I was deaf was absolutely ridiculous.”

Despite informing the airline in advance, Lesley was made to wait nearly two hours and missed her flight. She was only allowed to travel the next day after the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People confirmed by fax that Molly was a hearing dog.

In a statement, easyJet said: “The check-in agent was inexperienced and will be retrained… Staff at the airport were under pressure that day because of disruption caused by severe snow”.

Have you ever encountered similar problems while travelling? Let us know by emailing info@signpostbsl.com.

(UK, 10 March 2010)
Signed by Joseph Sheridan

Pictures courtesy of ITV Tyne Tees and Border