Limbless Woman Sues Air France Over 'Torso' Snub

[OneFinger]

A wheelchair-bound woman with no limbs sued Air France for discrimination on Friday, alleging she was kept off a flight by a gate agent who told her a "torso cannot possibly fly on its own."

 

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=0AVEYNNWE2TGYCRBAELCFFA?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=5986582

 

So, was Air France correct making her fly with a capable companion? What about making her get the opinion of 4 USA doctors before allowing her on the return flight?

[+ deej]

>So, was Air France correct making her fly with a capable

>companion? What about making her get the opinion of 4 USA

>doctors before allowing her on the return flight?

 

There isn't enough detail about this story to know for sure, but...

 

Air France was dead wrong all the way around.

 

Airline personnel routinely assist passengers in wheelchairs on/off flights.

 

Granted she shouldn't be seated in the exit rows, but other than that she bought a ticket. She knows the drill, probably FAR better than any flight crew. She'd actually probably be an ideal passenger, never asking for a thing.

 

I'd like to see more details here, though.

[Rick Munroe]

Sounds like she needs the strong arm of the law.

[+ deej]

Or someone should give her a helping hand.

 

(the completely inappropriate pun potential is amazing here.)

[londonbear]

This might give more information as the other link is broken.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/3572082.stm

 

It is quite clear that Air France were advised 12 weeks + in advance but did nothing t o contact the passenger until the insults at check-in.

[Guest zipperzone]

Why not just pack her into the overhead storage bin along with other carry-on baggage. No point in wasting a perfectly good seat.

[marc anthony]

So one fascinating aspect about this case is that the woman is British, the airline is Air France, and the alleged offense took place in Paris....

 

But the law suit is taking place in NYC since "European laws are not as strong against discrimination as American laws."

 

Interesting that our courts have jurisdiction over this case, and that people from elsewhere view us as the soft touch for the plaintiffs.

 

More American money going to do something that is probably none of our business.

[Michael]

> So one fascinating aspect about this case is that the woman

> is British, the airline is Air France, and the alleged offense

> took place in Paris....

 

[ ... ]

 

> Interesting that our courts have jurisdiction over this case,

> and that people from elsewhere view us as the soft touch for

> the plaintiffs.

 

I didn't see Paris mentioned anywhere.

 

According to both the BBC and the Reuters report the initial problem was at Manchester (England) before boarding a flight to New York, and there were subsequent problems with her return from the US.

 

If that is the case, then the US connection isn't as tenuous as you seem to be suggesting.

[marc anthony]

>

>I didn't see Paris mentioned anywhere.

>

>According to both the BBC and the Reuters report the initial

>problem was at Manchester (England) before boarding a flight

>to New York, and there were subsequent problems with her

>return from the US.

>

 

Sorry... reread the article and you are right... it was in England. But on re-reading the article, I also note it says the incident occurred in 2000. Where I live, the statute of limitations for civil litigation is 2 years...

 

And though I understand what you are saying about the use of NY courts being not as tenuous, it is still and incident in Europe by a European airline upon a European citizen.

 

Can you imagine the outrage an American owned airline (like United) would feel in response to a law suit brought by a Japanese national suing them in a Chinese court over an incident in a Japanese gate in a Japan to China flight because Chinese law would happen to be the best chance of winning? Seems like the court that governs should either be the home of the plaintiff, the home of the airline, or the soil of where the offending action took place.

 

Just my opinion.