Security agencies defend frisking disabled woman

13 July 2013 
Pragya Singh

New Delhi : The Airport security agencies in India find no wrong in frisking of disabled at the airports. Amidst the hullabaloo over the incident at Mumbai airport where a woman passenger was asked remove her prosthetic leg; security agencies said that the measure is taken to ensure that nothing suspicious is allowed to be carried by a passenger inside the aircraft.

It was also stated that post 9/11, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) protocol does not provide any leverage to an air traveller merely because of disabilities. They insisted that the artificial limb removal in no way followed to intrude into people's privacy.

Security authorities feel that the removal of the prosthetic limbs during the security drill should not be treated as an insult to the person. “Despite creating a fuss about the matter, people should come forward and cooperate with the security procedures followed. Passengers should treat this as a matter of national security and not a shameful act, which is just being followed to ensure the safety of the airport premises, aircraft as well as of the co-passengers,” said a senior BCAS official.

Senior BCAS officials said that the procedure to remove the artificial limb during the security drill has to be followed in case the frisking officer is not satisfied with its genuineness. Usually an explosive trace detector (ETD) is used to frisk the artificial limb. “Usually the prosthetic limbs, especially those imported from the other countries are very sophisticated in nature. These artificial limbs come in various types and may be added with the movement for the joints. In such cases, it becomes very difficult for the security personnel to ascertain the authenticity of the limb and ensure that the person is not taking its aid to smuggle suspicious objects,” he added.

He further said that not just the limbs, but the wheelchair and other aids are screened separately as part of the security procedure. “In case, the X-Ray machine is smaller in size to that of the wheelchair, manual frisking is done. The authorities cannot allow security lapse at the sensitive premises such as of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.” The security protocols, even if they demand the removal of the prosthetic limbs in some cases, have been set up to ensure the safety and security of the air travellers.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials too said that at many instances it becomes a necessity to get the artificial limbs removed so that nothing suspicious gets passed on to the aircraft. “At many instances, due to the sophisticated limbs worn by the passengers, it becomes a necessity to get the prosthetic limbs removed. To check the prosthetic limbs, usually an explosive trace detector (ETD) device is used. An ETD however, can only detect explosives and the suspicious objects such as knives can still be hidden inside. However, at times due to the sophisticated and complicated nature of the limbs, which are fitted with electronic gadgets it becomes next to impossible to ascertain its genuineness. In such cases, the official deployed for the frisking gets the limbs removed,” said CISF spokesperson, Hemendra Singh.

He, however, added that CISF personnel are trained to deal with such matters in a humane manner and such people are frisked in a separate room, keeping the privacy concerns in mind. “While dealing with the persons with disability or those who are unwell, the personnel have been instructed to follow a courteous manner, so that the security does not hurt the sentiments of such passengers. Even our personnel understand that the removal of the limbs causes inconvenience to the persons with disability, but it has to be followed in some cases to clear the suspicion of the constables deployed,” he added.

dailypioneer.com/city/security-agencies-defend-frisking-disabled-woman.html

2012, Sudha Chandran

Sudha Chandran's artificial leg causes travel woes


3 Mar 2012


Sudha Chandran talks about the way she was harassed by the airport security in Trivandrum


MUMBAI : Sudha Chandran has been an example for many. Despite having her right leg amputated, the popular television actress went on to become one of the highly acclaimed of India. However, living with a Jaipur foot is not easy. And the actress has been facing problems during air travel. And it's not because of any physical discomfort. Mumbai Mirror has learnt that Sudha had been facing problems with the airport officials. The actress had been harassed by the security officials in Mumbai, Trivandrum and Hyderabad airports.


Talking about her experience, Sudha told Mumbai Mirror, "Twice in the last ten days I have been harassed due to my artificial leg. And this has happened despite me carrying my medical certificate along. The certificate has all the details including how many screws are there on my artificial leg etc."


Her worst experience was however at the Mumbai airport. "They asked me ridiculous questions. When I told them that I was an actress, they said, 'Arrey pehchaana nahi aapko. Makeup ke bina bahut different lagte ho.' It was quite embarrassing."


Describing the recent Trivandrum incident, Sudha said, "I went to Trivandrum on February 14. The security staff at the airport was extremely rude."


"They asked me to undress. I was wearing a salwar kameez and couldn't possibly have undressed. There was also no changing room. They wanted me to remove my artificial leg and show. It was very humiliating. The other people present there came and started watching me," added the actress.


Hoping that security people will understand the humiliation that a person goes through due to such checks, Sudha added, "I agree that not everyone knows who I am. I am not that famous. However, when I show them all the documents, I just wish they dealt with me respectfully. I wonder what would happen to common people who have issues like these."


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-03/tv/31118895_1_sudha-chandran-airport-security-mumbai-airport

2012, Anjalee Agarwal

Another harrowing airport experience for Anjlee


Ms. Agarwal, a disability rights worker, was carted around on a luggage trolley at Delhi T3


Disability rights activist Anjlee Agarwal of Samarthyam, who was last week “literally thrown off a flight” in Raipur for objecting to the non-availability of an aisle chair, again had a harrowing experience with an airline. This time it was at Delhi's swanky T3 terminal that Ms. Agarwal found herself being carted around on a luggage trolley with no side support as the Air India staff could not get her an aisle chair.


Narrating her experience, Ms. Agarwal, who was recently part of a major access audit for government buildings in Delhi, said she had to undergo the humiliation of being transported in a luggage trolley on Thursday while returning to Delhi from Mumbai via Air India flight AI 660.


At Mumbai, Ms. Agarwal said she had requested the Air India crew to get her an aisle chair while de-boarding at the T3 airport in New Delhi. However, when the flight reached the Delhi airport, the aisle chair was not there to help her de-board.


Request not met


“I had to wait for 20 minutes and finally, after lot of hue and cry, I got to see a luggage trolley for transferring me from the aircraft seat. I was carried in the luggage trolley chair which had just two wheels instead of four and also did not possess an armrest for side support,” she said.


Lamenting that this was the state of affairs at T3 in Delhi, which is supposed to be a “world class airport”, Ms. Agarwal said she had a harrowing time being hauled around on the luggage trolley. “I was not able to balance myself on the narrow seat, my feet were dangling and I kept asking for another aisle chair to be given to me while being carried to the aircraft gate.”


She said she lost her balance several times, as she has limb girdle muscular dystrophy. Apart from this, she “also felt extremely embarrassed and insulted as 12 to 13 persons [both the crew and ground staff] looked at me with pity!”


Due to such mishandling, Ms. Agarwal said she had to be physically shifted four times at the airport. “I was transferred again from the luggage trolley to another wheelchair at the aircraft gate. Then on reaching the conveyer belt [luggage belt], I got my wheelchair and was transferred onto it. Finally, I was transferred from my wheelchair to the taxi.”


Describing the experience as “very exhausting, disgraceful, scary and unsafe,” the rights activist said it was unfortunate that “still people with disabilities are seen as luggage and are discriminated against”.


Incidentally, this is the third major case of harassment to disabled passengers that has come to light within the past fortnight. Earlier in February, a SpiceJet pilot had forced Jeeja Ghosh, head of advocacy and disability studies at the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy at Kolkata off a Goa-bound flight because he was “abnormal” and was not accompanied by help.


In view of such repeated incidents, Ms. Agarwal and Samarthyam have urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to come up with recommendations on handling persons with disability and to take immediate action against all airlines that are insulting disabled passengers and violating the policy rules.


Indemnity bond


“We want training of all ground staff, pilot and crew for transferring and handling persons with disabilities,” she said, demanding that people with disabilities should also not be made to sign an indemnity bond as it is discriminatory, since it does not cover people with hidden illnesses.


Among other things, the rights group has also demanded that aisle chairs should be made available in all aircraft for wheelchair users and all persons with disabilities should be allotted front and aisle seats, if requested.


http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2951358.ece


Air India defending wrong action: Disability rights activist


DELHI : Disability rights activist Anjlee Agarwal has taken a strong exception to national carrier Air India's claim that she was “not transported in a luggage-trolley” at Delhi airport recently and that she had been “assisted with standard aisle chair as used universally''.


Responding to the claim by the Corporate Communications department of Air India which on Friday stated that she was “extended all assistance as per industry standards” and “at no point of time she was transported in a luggage-trolley”, Ms. Agarwal said she was appalled that the airline was defending its wrong actions.


“I have been travelling with Air India for the last seven years and the picture of the trolley used for transporting me out of the Goa-Delhi flight AI 660 at T3 in Delhi on Thursday would clearly show that such two-wheeled trolleys are nowhere used as transfer chairs,” she said.


No safety belts


Ms. Agarwal said a look at “transfer chairs'' used the world over by airlines would reveal that they all have four wheels, possess a neck rest, safety belts in ‘X' form which lock up near the shoulder and around the waist, and have a foot rest which is easily approachable.


“The trolley provided to me had no neck rest, no safety belts and no proper foot rest. It had just two wheels because of which it had to be tilted backwards for forward movement. While my neck was jacked backwards, the feet were left dangling in the air. The Air India would thus do better to rectify its fault rather defend them.''


Ms. Agarwal said: “Obviously an attempt is being made to cover up because Air India never uses such trolleys elsewhere. Even while I was going to Goa on February 25 by its flight AI 865, this very airline had provided me a proper aisle chair at T3 for the boarding. It should thus probe why the quality of service deteriorated a few days later.''


Air India has also claimed that “wheelchair passengers are boarded first and deplaned last in order not to interfere with movement of other passengers'' and that it has “a very high standard of facilitation to the passengers requiring wheel chair assistance''.



http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article2959167.ece

2012, Tony Kurian

IndiGo suspends staff for refusing ticket to disabled


MUMBAI : Following DNA’s report on Sunday of how a visually-impaired Tata Institute of Social Sciences student Tony Kurian, 22, was repeatedly denied a flight ticket unless he agreed to be accompanied by an escort or a guide dog, IndiGo has suspended, with immediate effect, the outsourced call centre executives, who repeatedly refused to facilitate the tickets.


A statement from airline president Aditya Ghosh says IndiGo had spoken to Kurian and had assured him that “IndiGo, has no such policy that discourages visually challenged passengers from travelling with us or insisting that they are accompanied by escorts or guide dogs.”


“It is indeed a shocking incident and this kind of unacceptable behaviour calls for immediate action, including a training intervention.Hence, we have internally circulated an email reiterating the Directorate General of Civil Aviation guidelines (on disabled passengers) to our staff.”


Pointing out that IndiGo is the only airline that has a boarding ramp to allow wheelchairs and stretchers to be taken into the aircraft, the statement also mentions the ‘auto-step bus’ to assist them and senior citizens.


“We regret the inconvenience caused to Kurian, and hope he will see this experience as an aberration and not the rule at IndiGo,” the statement said.


Ghosh also mailed Kurian on Saturday apologising for the incident. But, the apology was in variance with the call centre staff who refused Kurian tickets three times. Irked such an “unacceptable behaviour”, the airline has taken strong action against the “errant” call centre executives by suspending them with immediate effect.


When DNA spoke to Kurian, he said he was glad that his stand was vindicated. “I want to thank the airline for such prompt and stern action.”


http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_indigo-suspends-staff-for-refusing-ticket-to-disabled_1655966




Another airline snubs the disabled


26-FEB-2012


MUMBAI It would appear that all the Indian airlines are vying with each other to enter the Hall of Shame.


Close on the heels of the shameful incident on February 19, 2012 where Spice Jet offloaded a passenger, Jeeja Ghosh, because she suffered from cerebral palsy, comes another incident, this time involving Indigo Airlines. Tony Kurian, 22, a visually impaired student of the development studies programme at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, has been repeatedly denied tickets by Indigo because of his impairment, and his tale of woe goes back to October 2011.


“I first tried to book tickets on October 17, 2011 for a flight to Cochin on June 22, 2012. I was refused a ticket. The airline told me that ‘a blind passenger may not avail of their services unless accompanied by an escort or a guide dog.’ I tried to point out thatthis was in violation of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) guidelines, but they were adamant about what they called their airline policy,” says a bitter Kurian.


Then, following the uproar over the ill-treatment meted out to Jeeja Ghosh in Kolkata by SpiceJet, Kurian tried again on February 23. “I was hopeful that the Kolkata incident and the outrage it generated would have cured Indigo of such policies, but I was humiliated again, and a ticket was refused to me on the very same grounds.”


The DGCA Guidelines clearly state, “Many persons with disabilities do not require constant assistance for their activities. Therefore, if the passenger declares independence in feeding, communication with reasonable accommodation, toileting and personal needs, the airlines shall not insist for the presence of an escort.” It further states, “All airlines shall provide necessary assistance to persons with disabilities/ impairment who wish to travel alone without an escort.”


Indigo violated the DGCA rules in their treatment of him, says Kurian. “Instead of honouring their obligation to provide me all ‘necessary assistance’, they denied me even the basic right to travel independently.”


When contacted, Indigo spokesperson Sakshi Batra said this was “a training issue and not a policy one.” She added, “Indigo’s policies are disabled-friendly. The company will investigate and find out who was responsible for conveying this wrong picture. We will also get in touch with the passenger to address his concerns.”


After DNA’s conversation with the Indigo spokesperson, Indigo president Aditya Ghosh wrote to Kurian, apologising for the incident. “At IndiGo, we have no such policy that discourages visually challenged passengers from traveling with us or insisting that visually challenged passengers are accompanied by guide dogs!...I can only personally apologise to you,” says the letter. After this apology from the company president, Kurian tried three times to book tickets on February 25, again without success. And at the time of going to press, Kurian still did not have a ticket from Indigo, an apology from the Indigo president notwithstanding.


Besides Spice Jet and now Indigo, earlier in September 2011, GoAir had stopped a visually challenged woman from boarding a flight, as had Kingfisher in May 2011. Clearly, the malaise of insensitivity towards the disabled is not a rarity in the aviation sector.


http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_another-airline-snubs-the-disabled_1654996

2012, Anjalee Agarwal

'Airlines treat disabled passengers as sack of vegetables'


Feb 24, 2012


NEW DELHI : After SpiceJet, Jet Airways has been accused of showing apathetic behaviour towards a disabled woman who was not only denied an aisle wheelchair to deboard the plane but also threatened to be bodily lifted by loaders out of the aircraft.


The incident happened with Anjalee Agarwal, who is suffering from Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy - a progressive neurological condition in which a person is unable to stand or move and has to be confined to a wheelchair, on a Jet Connect flight (9W 2211) from Delhi to Raipur on February 20.


The incident cam a day after differently-abled woman Jeeja Ghosh was offloaded from a SpiceJet flight.


"My ordeal started from Delhi airport. When I was asked by the boarding pass issuing staff, if 'I am fit to fly'. When I asked 'what do you mean', he stared at me and asked me to sign an indemnity bond.


"When I refused, he said 'it's our rule and you can't fly without signing this'. I had to sign it, as I could not afford to miss the flight," alleged Agarwal, who is a frequent flyer and also executive director of an NGO that works on creating accessibility awareness.


In a statement, Jet Airways said the guest travelling by 9W 2211 reported at the check-in counter at Delhi with a fractured leg which had a plaster on and explained it was due to a recent surgery.


"As per standard procedure, the check-in staff got the guest to sign an indemnity bond. Also she was informed there were no ambulifts at Raipur," the statement said.


"The guest boarded from Delhi with the help of a wheel chair," a Jet Airways spokesperson said.


When she reached Raipur airport, Agarwal alleged that inspite of airlines crew assurance of getting an aisle wheelchair on board, flight supervisor Niranjan Sen pressurised her to be bodily lifted by four male loaders with the "excuse that while deboarding at Raipur they do not have aisle chairs in smaller cities."


"Hence I was ordered to be bodily lifted till the gate of the aircraft and then transferred to the big wheelchair and then carried down the steps," Agarwal, who has filed a complaint with the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disability, the Director General of Civil Aviation and Ministry of Civil Aviation, said. When Agarwal protested at being bodily lifted by male loaders above, "Sen threatened me that they will not deboard me instead take me back to Delhi as the flight was going back to Delhi," Agarwal alleged.


The airline allegedly allowed boarding of passengers in midst of all this commotion and even before she deboard the plane.


"I kept fighting for making an aisle chair available and refused to both - 'bodily lifting and carried back to Delhi." she said.


Meanwhile, junior supervisor allegedly told her that she had not put a request for wheelchair while booking the tickets.


"When I said, I did made a wheelchair request at Delhi airport and also while booking tickets, he said, 'wheelchairs users cannot book tickets through web booking'. This came as a bigger shock to me because I did book tickets online and with wheelchair request," an agitated Agarwal said.


Finally, after 35 minutes of her protest, a "Jet airways" aisle chair appeared.


"With ruthlessness and extreme rudeness, I was transferred into the aisle chair and literally thrown down the steps, as if they are all trying to get rid of me," she alleged.


Agarwal said, "I think, it is quite obvious that what airlines do is book tickets, make money, and treat disabled passengers as "noonincoops" to be loaded by loaders, as if we are "sack of vegetables".  


Jet Airways further said that Agarwal was brought up to galley area from where she walked up to her alloted seat in the aircraft.


On arrival at Raipur, Jet Airways staff met the passenger and offered her wheel-chair assistance.


"She was requested to walk up to the galley and avail the wheel chair which was kept there for her," the spokesperson said.


The guest was reluctant to allow the Jet Airways to assist her from her seat to the wheelchair. Ultimately, Jet Airways staff persuaded the guest to use the available facilities at the airport and helped her de-plane, the statement said.


The DGCA has issued guidelines about the Carriage by Air of Persons with Disability or Reduced Mobility, under the provisions of Rule 133 A of the Aircraft Act 1937.


Section 4 of the CAR says that no airline should refuse to carry persons with disability or reduced mobility and also incorporate appropriate provisions in online form for booking tickets so that required facilities are made available to such passengers.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-02-24/news/31095284_1_wheelchair-delhi-airport-9w


Jet accused of mistreating disabled woman, inquiry ordered


Days after SpiceJet offloaded a differently-abled person from a flight, Jet Airways has been accused of showing apathetic behaviour towards a disabled woman, even as the airline and aviation regulator DGCA launched separate probes into the incident.


The incident occurred on Monday when Anjalee Agarwal, who suffers from Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy - a progressive neurological condition in which a person is unable to stand or move and is confined to a wheelchair, was allegedly denied a wheelchair to get off the plane and threatened to be bodily lifted by male loaders.


As the airline launched an enquiry, official sources said the DGCA was also probing the incident.


The incident on a Jet Konnect flight (9W 2211) from Delhi to Raipur occurred a day after differently-abled woman Jeeja Ghosh was offloaded from a SpiceJet flight.


A Jet Airways spokesperson said the incident on board the Delhi-Raipur flight has been reported at the Mumbai headquarters of the airline.


"Company headquarters is investigating the issue by approaching concerned airports and will revert with the findings on the matter," the airline spokesperson said.


Agarwal, a frequent flier and executive director of an NGO that works on creating accessibility awareness, said her "ordeal" began from Delhi airport when she was asked by the airline staff, "if 'I am fit to fly'. When I asked 'what do you mean', he asked me to sign an indemnity bond.


"When I refused, he said 'it's our rule and you can't fly without signing this'. I had to sign it, as I could not afford to miss the flight."


When she reached Raipur, Agarwal alleged that despite the crew assuring her of getting a wheelchair, flight supervisor Niranjan Sen pressurised her to be bodily lifted by four male loaders with the "excuse that while deboarding at Raipur they do not have aisle chairs in smaller cities."


"Hence I was ordered to be bodily lifted till the gate of the aircraft, then transferred to the big wheelchair and then carried down the steps," Agarwal, who has filed a complaint with the chief commissioner for persons with disability, the director general of civil aviation and civil aviation ministry, said.


When Agarwal protested at being bodily lifted by male loaders, "Sen threatened me that they will not deboard me instead take me back to Delhi as the flight was going back to Delhi," she alleged, adding that in the midst of the commotion, the airline allowed boarding of passengers even before she got off.


Meanwhile, junior supervisor allegedly told her that she had not put a request for wheelchair while booking the tickets.


"When I said, I did make a wheelchair request at Delhi airport and also while booking tickets, he said, 'wheelchairs users cannot book tickets through web booking'. This came as a bigger shock to me because I did book tickets online and with wheelchair request," an agitated Agarwal said.


Finally, after 35 minutes of her protest, a "Jet airways" aisle chair appeared.


The DGCA has issued guidelines about the Carriage by Air of Persons with Disability or Reduced Mobility, under which no airline should refuse to carry persons with disability or reduced mobility and also incorporate appropriate provisions in online form for booking tickets so that required facilities are made available to such passengers.


http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Jet-accused-of-mistreating-disabled-woman-inquiry-ordered/Article1-816383.aspx

2012, Jeeja Ghosh

Differently-abled woman offloaded from SpiceJet flight


20-FEB-2012


KOLKATA : A woman suffering from cerebral palsy was offloaded from a SpiceJet flight at the Kolkata airport on Sunday as the pilot reportedly found her unfit to fly on her own. An airline source said the pilot mistook the passenger for a mentally challenged patient.


The incident occurred soon after Jeeja Ghosh, 42, a teacher at Kolkata’s Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, boarded the flight. Ghosh was on her way to Goa to attend a conference where she was to deliver a lecture on mainstreaming the differently-abled.


Ghosh said she reached the airport at 7 am, checked in and was escorted to the flight by an assistant. She was seated in the plane when a flight assistant reportedly asked for her boarding pass and then told her to leave her seat and accompany them. Ghosh was made to deboard the flight, put in a car and taken back to the airport.


According to Ghosh, she was taken to the airport office, where she learnt that it was the pilot, Utprabh Tiwari, who wanted her offloaded. The assistant manager and other personnel reportedly said they were helpless and had failed to convince the pilot.


Ghosh said the airline staff refused to give her a written statement stating the reason for de-boarding her. “It is painful to see the attitude of the airport personnel. Perhaps they thought that I am mad, and that is why they did not allow me to board the flight,” she said.


While the airline later apologised and offered to fly her to Goa the next day, Ghosh has filed a complaint with the authorities.


In a statement, SpiceJet regretted the incident and said it has apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. “We are investigating the matter internally and action will be taken,” the airline said.


As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s guidelines, airlines cannot refuse to carry a differently-abled passenger. In fact, they have been advised not to insist on medical clearance or special forms unless they have information that the passenger either suffers from some contagious disease or would require attention during flight to maintain their health.


http://www.indianexpress.com/news/differentlyabled-woman-offloaded-from-spicejet-flight/914229/0

2011, Rajiv Rajan

Rajiv Rajan denied ambulift facility at airport


23 Aug 2011


CHENNAI : He helped frame the Civil Aviation Requirement guidelines for the differently-abled. And he himself became a victim of the failure of the Airports Authority of India and Air India in following them.


It was irony at its best when Rajiv Rajan, coordinator of Disability Legislation Unit, South, and general secretary of disabled people’s organisation, and four of his colleagues were denied an aerobridge or ambulift facility at the airport here.Rajan and others were returning from Delhi by flight (number AI 540), after attending a workshop of Disabled People’s International Asia Pacific Chapter. “We had asked for wheelchairs and seats in the front row, right after the business class. 


It is their duty to provide the ambulifts as they had prior knowledge that we were on board the flight,” Rajan told Express.“It is a sheer violation of Carriage by Air of Persons with Disability or Persons with Reduced Disability Rule framed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2008 and which came into effect in 2009,” said A Dhanasekar, president of EKTHA and associate coordinator of Disabled Legislation Unit.As per rule 6.3 of the guidelines, every airport operator shall make provisions, including ambulifts, to enable disabled passengers to embark or disembark the aircraft without hassles.


“The airport authorities and airline said they will carry us. We climbed down in protest, except for a woman. Air India provided best services till now, but this event resulted in some bitterness,” Rajiv said.


Interestingly, the incident was repeated on Tuesday when Minakshi Balasubramanian and S S Smitha, members of the Disability Rights Alliance, Tamil Nadu, and colleagues of Rajiv, returning from New Delhi by flight number AI 429. “We were threatened to be evacuated. But then, after we protested for more than an hour, the authorities yielded and provided us with ambulift,” said Minakshi.


Meanwhile, an airline spokesman said the Air India was looking into the issue.

http://expressbuzz.com/topic/rajiv-rajan-denied-ambulift-facility-at-airport/306698.html

2011, Smitha & Meenakshi

Disabled get ambulift after hour's fight


Shalini Umachandran, TNN Aug 23, 2011, 01.03pm IST


CHENNAI : Two disabled women who travelled from Delhi to Chennai spent more than an hour arguing with airline staff on Monday when they were refused an ambulift to leave the plane.


Smitha Sadasivan, a wheelchair user with multiple sclerosis, and B Meenakshi, who uses crutches, landed in Chennai from Delhi on Air India flight IC 429 at 1.15pm on Monday. The airline staff said the ambulift — used to raise and lower passengers with limited mobility from an aircraft — was under maintenance and so they would have to carry the women down from the plane.


"The Air India staff and crew said four men would carry the wheelchairs down," said Meenakshi, who is also a member of the Disability Rights Alliance. "The civil aviation rules clearly state that ambulifts should be provided to passengers who need them. Apart from the fact that carrying us violates our dignity, it is also extremely unsafe," she said.


When the women refused to budge for over an hour, the airline staff gave in. "Within 15 minutes the ambulift was at the aircraft," said Sadasivan. "If the situation had been so bad, how did they manage to get the ambulift within 15 minutes? Why did we have to fight for it for an hour," she says.


Air India officials declined to comment immediately. Airport authorities, however, said the airline had two ambulifts, one of which was not working. The Airports Authority of India also maintains an ambulift, which it hires out to airlines for Rs 3,000 per use. An ambulift works on a mechanism similar to the one used to lift catering vans to the aircraft.


"The crew called managers who told us to adjust. They felt we were being adamant, but we explained that we are not comfortable being carried. A Supreme Court order also makes it mandatory to provide the ambulift," said Sadasivan. Both had mentioned that they were disabled and wheelchair users when they booked their tickets the previous day.


Most private airlines do not provide these facilities despite the Persons with Disabilites Act, 1995, stating that disabled people should have equal accessibility to all transport facilities. The directorate general of civil aviation has made ambulifts mandatory at airports. "The women knew their rights so they stood their ground, but rights of ordinary disabled people are violated regularly," said Javed Abidi, convenor of Delhi's Disabled Rights Group, who filed a public interest litigation to make provision of ambulifts mandatory in 1997.


Monday's incident is not an isolated one. On Sunday night, T M N Deepak, who uses crutches, travelled to Chennai on a private airline. He was told he would have to be carried from the aircraft as they did not provide ambulift facilities. "I did not want to be carried as it is undignified and unsafe. I decided to walk but airline stairs are not easy to navigate on crutches," he said.


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-23/chennai/29918605_1_private-airlines-airline-staff-disabled-women

2011, Keshavji Shah

Jet Airways leaves senior citizen at Mumbai airport boarding gate


A senior citizen booked on a Jet Airways (JA) Mumbai-Bhuj flight was quick to retaliate after he allegedly missed his flight because of the airline’s negligence.


The passenger, who was wheelchair-bound, alleged that the airline staff abandoned him near the boarding gate and later refused to rebook him on another flight or give him a refund.


It was only after he lodged a non-cognisable (NC) offence with the airport police that the airline offered him a refund. The airline, however, maintained that the passenger was missing from the wheelchair when the boarding started and it was not their fault.


On August 11, Kandivli resident Keshavji A Shah, 80, was to fly by Jet Airways (JA) flight 9W 2533 from the Santa Cruz terminal of Mumbai airport.The flight was to leave at 1.10pm and the passenger, accompanied by his son Rupesh Shah, 39, reached the airport at 10.45am.


“My father is old and ailing so we had requested the airline for a wheelchair,” said Rupesh who had come to see him off.


The airline’s staff took Keshavji inside in a wheelchair, completed all the formalities and took him to the boarding gate. “After that, the loader left my father there and disappeared.I had told my father to give me a call once he boarded the flight.I was waiting outside when at 1.15pm he called me and said that he was still sitting inside the terminal and that his flight has left,” he said.


Rupesh informed the airline staff and Keshavji was brought outside the terminal.“We requested the airline to book him on the next flight to Bhuj but they refused. We asked for a refund and they denied it,” he says.


Angry with such treatment the Shahs lodged an NC under section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian penal code at Santa Cruz airport police station.“After we lodged the police complaint, the airline agreed to offer us a refund. If they are going to treat senior citizens like this, what is the point of even informing them?” asked Rupesh.


http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_jet-airways-leaves-senior-citizen-at-mumbai-airport-boarding-gate_1575043

2011, Mohammed Asif Iqbal

Sign bond to fly, blind exec told


9 Jun 2011


KOLKATA : A high-flying city executive, who has travelled across the world and helped frame disabled-friendly guidelines for Indian airports, hit an air pocket at Patna last week when a private airline insisted he sign a bond before allowing him to board. The apparent reason: he is visually impaired, and was travelling alone.


Md Asif Iqbal, 34, did eventually board the Ranchi-bound Kingfisher Red flight, but only after signing an indemnity bond that cleared the carrier and its employees of any charge should something happen to him during the flight. Iqbal has no ailments. He lost his eyesight at 16 due to a genetic disorder.


But that has never been a hurdle for Iqbal, who did his BCom from St. Xavier's and MBA from Symbiosis. He has been working as principal consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers since May 2005 and is now engaged in the ambitious Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) project led by former Infosys chief executive Nandan Nilekani. He was in Patna to interview students on behalf of an NGO that will sponsor their two-year stay in the city and coach them for the engineering entrance examination.


Iqbal has lodged a complaint with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), alleging discrimination and harassment. The airline brass has been summoned for an explanation. Iqbal, ironically, had participated in the consultations initiated by the DGCA to make airports disabled-friendly.


DGCA is probing an identical complaint against the airline. Shabnam Mansoori, who is also visually impaired, was not allowed to board a Kingfisher Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight on May 10. Mansoori's two kids were travelling with her.


A Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson told TOI in an email on Wednesday the company regretted the incident and had taken punitive action.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-09/kolkata/29638416_1_disabled-friendly-sign-bond-air-pocket

Airline suspends service agent

Patna, June 14: Kingfisher Airlines today asked Supriya Sagar, a guest service agent at the city airport, to not report to work till further notice in connection with a case of alleged misbehaviour with a visually challenged passenger.

Sagar is the third employee of the airlines to be suspended in this case. On June 9, two other employees of the airlines, Shuddho Ghosh, the airport manager of Kingfisher at Patna, and supervisor Shamim Ahmed were also suspended.

Sources said on May 30, when Mohammad Asif Iqbal, a visually challenged passenger, boarded the Kingfisher Patna-Ranchi-Mumbai flight IT 3571, the ground staff “harassed” him. The flight was scheduled to depart from Patna for Ranchi at 2:05pm.

Iqbal later filed a passenger harassment complaint with the directorate-general of civil aviation (DGCA). According to the complaint, he was initially denied a boarding pass at the counter at Patna airport as he is visually challenged. After the initial denial, the ground staff of Kingfisher demanded that he sign an indemnity bond stating that he was travelling at his own risk. Only then was he allowed to board the aircraft.

“Initially, I was not given the boarding pass at the Kingfisher counter at Patna airport. I was made to wait while other passengers got their boarding passes cleared. After repeated requests and signing an indemnity bond, which is against DGCA rules, I was finally given the boarding pass and the permission to board the aircraft. Shamim Ahmed, who was the station in-charge at that time, misbehaved with me,” Iqbal told The Telegraph.

Airline sources said Ghosh was not on duty that day. Sources in civil aviation industry claimed that the regulations with respect to boarding of completely visually challenged passengers in Kingfisher aircraft were not very clear. Immediately after the incident, the airlines issued fresh guidelines regarding the boarding of visually impaired passengers, around 5pm on May 30.

Responding to the suspension of the airline employees, Iqbal said, “Some of them misbehaved with me and I endured the unnecessary hassle of signing an indemnity bond. That is the reason I made the complaint. However, I did not want either Ghosh or Supriya to lose their jobs. I am aware of the fact that Ghosh was not on duty that day. But whatever action has been taken against him is an internal matter of the airlines. Moreover, Supriya is a wonderful, kind-hearted and affectionate girl. I believe that it is only because of her that I got the opportunity to board the aircraft that day.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110615/jsp/bihar/story_14113669.jsp

2011, Shabnam Mansuri

Kingfisher crew offloads blind woman with kids

Airline makes them disembark from flight, leaves them unattended for nearly an hour and a half as aircraft takes off without them

21-5-2011

MUMBAI : A private airline made a blind woman and her two children disembark from her connecting flight to Goa and left them unattended for nearly an hour and a half while the plane took off without them.

Adding insult to injury, the airline's staff allegedly told the woman that she could not travel with two kids because she was blind.

Shabnam Mansuri had flown in to Mumbai from Ahmedabad with sons Lukman (7) and 18-month-old Luftaan, and was on her way to Goa when the incident happened

Shabnam Mansuri (35) says the experience has made her realise the fallacy of thinking that she can be treated like everyone else despite her handicap.

On May 10, Mansuri was travelling with her sons Lukman (7) and 18-month-old Luftaan from Ahmedabad to Goa via Mumbai to meet her husband. Her tickets had been booked with Kingfisher Airlines. 

"I boarded the Kingfisher flight from Ahmedabad and reached Mumbai, from where I was supposed to take a connecting flight to Goa. 

I had barely taken a seat in the connecting flight around 12.30 pm when a crew member came and asked me to follow him. He also asked me to take my cabin baggage and kids with me.

Initially, I thought that he must be changing my seat, but realised something was amiss when he took me down some stairs," said Mansuri.

"I asked him why he was making me get off the plane but he refused to answer. When my kids and I got off, they closed the aircraft's doors and took off, leaving us standing there. 

One attendant told me later that I cannot travel with two kids as I am blind. I was shocked," she added. 

She kept telling the attendant that she had two young kids and needed to meet her husband in Goa, but to no avail.

Finally, close to 2 pm, a staff member came and told her that they would arrange for her to board a 4.40 pm flight to Goa.

"I did not want to bank on them anymore. I called my husband and he arranged for us to board another airline's 3.10 pm flight. 

My question is, how can they let me travel from Ahmedabad to Mumbai without any trouble and then say I cannot travel with two kids from Mumbai to Goa? I was travelling on the same airline in both cases," said Mansuri.

She said the experience was one of the worst she's had in her life. "I am blind but that doesn't mean they have the right to discriminate against me. 

I had paid the full fare and if they had some problems, they should have informed me before I boarded. My elder son is so traumatised by the incident, he says he does not want to fly anymore."

Husband reacts

Mansuri's husband, Samir, who is the Chairman of Blinds Dream, an NGO, wrote a letter to the airline to complain about the treatment meted out to her. 

A portion of the letter states, "Kingfisher officials told my wife that if she thought they were cruel, she shouldn't travel with them anymore."

"What the Kingfisher staff did to my wife is shameful. They had done something similar with me in 2005 (see box) and I will not let them get away this time. 

Flight tickets of Shabnam Mansuri and her two sons Lukman and Luftaan

They have replied to my letter but that is not enough. I will take this issue to the consumer court and will go to the Supreme Court if need be.

This is an insult to me and my family and I will not tolerate it under any circumstances," said Samir.

He alleged that he had come to know that his wife was made to disembark because of a VIP booking at the last moment, which led to the flight being overbooked. 

"If their company cannot handle blind people, they should declare that visually challenged people are not allowed to fly Kingfisher," he added. 

The Other Side

When MiD DAY contacted Kingfisher Airlines, they said they regretted the incident. Prakash Mirpuri, vice-president, corporate communications, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said, "We are investigating the matter. 

In the meantime, we would like to convey our deep regret for the inconvenience that may have been caused inadvertently to our valued guests."

Earlier too

Dr Samir Mansuri, Shabnam's husband and a celebrity doctor who is also blind, had allegedly been insulted by Kingfisher Airlines in 2005 as well. According to Samir, he was travelling from Mumbai to Ahmedabad that year. 

"I was first in the queue to board the flight, but I was made to wait till all the other passengers boarded. When I went inside, they forced me to visit a washroom outside the aircraft even when I did not want to go.

They said they were doing that so I would't have to visit the airplane's loo when we were airborne. The crew told me that they could not allow me to use the aircraft's washroom as I am blind and there were female crew members on board," said Samir.

"I felt insulted and raised the issue in the media. Vijay Mallya then issued an apology for the indecent behaviour on the airline's part," he added.

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/may/210511-Shabnam-Mansuri-Kingfisher-crew-blind-woman-disembark-Airline-mumbai.htm

2010, Desikaran

Man denied wheelchair at T3


NEW DELHI : Even as airline officials crib about the huge area of terminal 3, a 77-year-old passenger, who had specifically requested for a wheelchair, was forced to walk the entire length of the terminal from the boarding gate to the car park when no arrangements had been made for him.


Desikaran, who had flown into Delhi from Chennai on an Air India flight to attend a Food Standard and Safety Authority of India conference, said walking is a highly-painful exercise for him because of which he had specially asked for a wheelchair when booking his ticket. "A wheelchair was provided in Chennai but nothing in Delhi. I landed at 11.45pm and had to walk all the way to the car park. There was a lady passenger with a similar request who also had to walk all the way," he said.


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-11-10/delhi/28212962_1_wheelchair-car-park-air-india-flight

2010, Rizwan

Mentally challenged person 'grounded' by low-cost carrier


May 5, 2010


LUCKNOW : The alleged insensitivity shown by a prominent low-cost carrier in refusing to let a mentally disabled person board a flight led to a high-pitched drama at Amausi airport on Tuesday.


Talking to TOI from Mumbai, Nusrat Fatima Jafri said that her mother and sister were escorting her brother Rizwan (37), who is mentally challenged after his cerebrum was damaged when he was three days old.


While at the counter, the Indigo airlines staff refused to give them the boarding pass. They kept on saying that he (Rizwan) will be a "threat to other passengers" and that they could not allow them to board the flight as per the Indigo airlines policy, Jafri said, adding that this was despite the fact that they were carrying a medical certificate for the same. "Rizwan has travelled by air twice before, I don't know why the Indigo people refused to let them board the flight," she said.


The supervisor at Indigo counter, Rahul Gupta, refused to let them check in and when they asked him to give the reason in writing, he went off asking his juniors to "tackle" them, an indignant Nusrat said.


"However, it was the heights of rudeness when after the flight had taken off, they instead gave us a note claiming that we had not been allowed to board the flight as we had arrived late," Rizwan's sister Shaheen said. Shaheen, who was accompanying Rizwan for the Indigo airlines flight 6E-341, said that they had reached at 11.45 am and were at the counter by 12 noon. If we were late, how could they allow another passenger who arrived after us to board the flight? asked Shaheen.


When contacted, Indigo station incharge, Sagar denied the allegations, saying that the passengers arrived late and since they were refused permission to board the flight, they were just trying to harass the airlines.


"They are lying, they reported for check-in at 12.20 pm, while we had closed our counters at 12.10 pm," Sagar said.


http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-05-05/lucknow/28298674_1_indigo-airlines-flight-rizwan

2009, Hari Venkat

Booked himself on wheelchair, passenger denied flight


Posted: Mar 17, 2009 at 0128 hrs IST


He says luggage ejected, officials said no aide to take him on board; airline says he was in washroom before takeoff


Mumbai : A wheelchair-bound passenger alleged that he was denied entry to a flight and his luggage ejected on Sunday evening, even though he had informed the airline while booking his ticket that he would be on a wheelchair.


Hari Venkat (38) had booked a Go Air flight from Mumbai to Kochi to undergo spinal treatment. He cannot walk.


Go Air denied the allegation, saying Venkat was not flown because he had insisted on using the washroom minutes before takeoff. Venkat eventually left on a Spice Jet flight to Kochi the next morning.


His sister Anju said the Go Air staff told him, “We’ll deplane your luggage as we don’t have an assistant to take you on a wheelchair.”


Only last week, Newsline reported that a woman passenger had been asked to remove her salwar as she was wearing metallic calipers. While the woman managed to fight her way through and refused to remove her salwar, Venkat was helpless as he could not board the aircraft without aid from the airline’s helpers.


Venkat reached the airport at 3:15 for a 4:40 flight. He got the boarding pass; it was after he had proceeded towards security check that the ordeal began.


“It was terrible the way they treated me. When I arrived at the terminal, they had some problems with their systems and that delayed the boarding pass. And the assistant they gave me was an inept 18-year-old,” Venkat said from Kochi.


“At the security check I needed my boarding card, so I had to wait while the assistant they provided me kept chatting with someone. Eventually I had to shout to get myself through security check. By the time I reached the gate, an executive told me I couldn’t get in.”


Anju said passengers behind her brother passed by him and got on the aircraft while Hari waited for the airline’s assistant to take him on board. “After he was refused entry, he called up and said that they (airline staff) did not even apologise or offer a reimbursement,” said Anju.


The flight was not delayed. When Venkat was told he could not fly, it was 3:30pm, with over an hour left for takeoff.


Hari said an airline executive told him, “Talk to the supervisor as I don’t work for you.”


A circular dated May 1, 2008, from the DGCA to all passenger airlines says, “No airline shall refuse to carry persons with disability or persons with reduced mobility and their assistive aids/devices, escorts and guide dogs including their presence in the cabin, provided such persons or their representatives, at the time of booking and /or check-in for travel, inform the airlines of their requirement.”


Go Air had an explanation: “The passenger had a GoAir porter for assistance all through check-in and then into the security hold. The passenger insisted on using the washroom even though they were repeatedly informed about the delay that they were causing to the flight. All mandatory on-air and personal requests were made. However, the passenger showed no inclination to hasten the boarding process and hence it resulted in a gate no-show, since the flight was ready for take off,” said a spokesperson for the airline.


http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/booked-himself-on-wheelchair-passenger-denied-flight/435357/

2009, Shruti Paul

CISF guard at airport asks woman with leg braces to take off salwar


MUMBAI : Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at the Mumbai airport allegedly asked a disabled passenger to take off her salwar for security check because she had metallic braces on her legs. The Indian Express had reported how Mumbai airport has been receiving at least 10 to 15 complaints from passengers every month on the overbearing behaviour of the CISF personnel.


“I’ve never felt so disgusted and humiliated in my life and it was not the first time I was travelling,” said Shruti Paul, who was on her way to Lucknow on a Kingfisher flight last Friday. Shruti, who suffers from polio, said she was wearing a caliper on her left leg and braces on her right knee; this would make the metal detector beep every time she passed through it.


“I pulled up my salwar a little to show her my caliper, but she asked me to take it off in the open-ended women’s cubicle,” she alleged. She said her ordeal lasted about 20 minutes, during which she was made to get up thrice from her wheelchair and asked to remove her salwar.


“They said I was not cooperating with them. But I did all I could, considering the heightened security at airports these days. But I could not take off my salwar. I felt like a criminal,” she said, while stating that the woman CISF guard, P Poonam, kept talking on her mobile phone while she was checking her.


Eventually, a senior CISF officer asked the guard to let her go. “He asked me to carry a disability certificate the next time I travel,” said Shruti.


Sanjay Prakash, CISF’s Senior Commandant at Mumbai airport, was unavailable for comment. “While it is mandatory for every passenger to pass the metal detector to enter the terminal’s security hold area, this kind of behaviour is simply unheard of,” said an airport official.


http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cisf-guard-at-airport-asks-woman-with-leg-braces-to-take-off-salwar/432569/0

2009, Aiswarya Rao

Airlines and Disability

from: Aiswarya Rao aiswarya.rao@gmail.com
to: customerrelations@jetairways.com
cc: das@dgca.nic.in,  dri@dgca.nic.in,  scd@tn.nic.in
date: Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 4:32 AM
subject: Incident on 9W 0739 – 25th Feb 09


Sir/Madam,


I boarded Jet Airways flight no: 9W 0739 on 25th February 09 from Delhi to Chennai at about 10:30 p.m. ( 3 hours delayed).


I am a physically challenged person and mobile with a pair of calipers and crutches. I was travelling alone and I requested wheelchair assisstance for alighting the flight of steps that lead to the aircraft, as I usually do whenever I fly.


I was assigned seat 25D on that day. This is the last but one row from the rear exit. I requested the stewardess whether I may sit in the last row as it had more leg room. She obliged as there were no one seated there already and said that she would request anyone who may turn up for the seat to exchange with me. I was happy with the assisstance given and I sat in the window seat on the right side -last row. I sat by the window so that I may enjoy the view of the city lights when we take off and land. It is also less bothersome to other passengers if they have to cross over my stretched legs to move to seats inside.


After everyone had boarded, I discovered that the seat I was sitting in was not assigned to anybody. In about 5 minutes one of the stewards  – Mr. Mickey, came up to me and asked me to shift to the aisle seat. I overheard conversation between him and his supervisor just minutes ago that ‘the lady in the wheelchair’ needs to be seated in the aisle seat. When I asked him the reason, why I should shift to the aisle seat and he said that it was Jet Airways Safety 
Requirement, that disabled passengers be seated only in the aisle seats. I wondered why, and he answered that it was so that in an emeregency if a disabled passenger has to be evacuated, this seating will enable that they are evacuated.


I thought that the explanation was incredulous, as I have travelled on numerous occassions previously, several times at the window and I have never been given this reason for not being seated at the window. I clarified that I am not a wheelchair bound person and that the seating policy if it did exist did not apply to me, as I would be able to move out myself in the event of an emergency. Mr. Mickey said that he would get back to me. I smiled.


In a few minutes he returned with the same line, asking me to get up and to be seated in the aisle. Then he asked” What is your problem?” I said that I had “no problem”. I further clarified that I had polio myelitis. He asked me to shift my seat. I declined for the reason that I had already given him. He smiled and said that he understood and said that he would get back again.


In returned again in a few more minutes and asked me very politely, if I could just get up and sit in the aisle for the take off and then get back to the window seat after that. I was frankly irritated by this time. But I put up a quiet front and again asked why I should do so, as it is causing me a lot of discomfort. He agreed it was causing discomfort, apologised for the same, but insisted that I shift myself into the aisle seat. I was really curious this time and I asked him again what this security requirement is all about. He simply maintained that it was for all passengers who used a wheel chair for getting up the aircraft it was the Jet Airways seating policy and a safety regulation.


I told him to show me the safety instruction on seating passengers who used a wheelchair to be seated by the aisle only and not at the window. Until then I would not shift.


After that I was not bothered. Subsequently Mr. Mickey was courteous to me and served me my dinner without reference to the previous conversation.


Is it really Jet Airways seating policy to seat “wheelchair passengers” only in the aisle and are they discriminated from sitting near the window seat? Also there is a big difference between ‘wheelchair bound’ passengers and passengers who use a wheelchair only in airports for transport into the aircraft. Again, I am not a ‘lady in the wheelchair’, as identified by one of the main steward to Mr. Mickey which I overheard.


I hope Jet Airways is more sensitive to physically challenged passengers. I am also a member of the Tamilnadu State Coordination Committee for the Disabled and this attitude of airlines crew is disturbing.


Further the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 3 Series ‘M’ Part I – Carriage of Physically Challenged passengers by Air issued by the Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation, New Delhi (dated 1st May 2008) states in its clause 7. 2.1 that “passengers with reduced mobility including the blind shall not be restricted to any particular cabin or seating areas, except when it is done for safety of passengers and avoid interference with evacuations or due to physical limitations of the aircraft”. If at all, I was seated away from the exit near the window and would not be an interference to evacuations!!


Expecting a clarification on the seating policy of Jet Airways which if it does exist, appears to be very unfair and going against the CAR issued by the DGCA.
sincerely,


Aiswarya

from: customerrelations@jetairways.comto: aiswarya.rao@gmail.comdate: Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 10:58 AMsubject: Fw: Incident on 9W 0739 – 25th Feb 09mailed-by: jetairways.com
Dear Ms Rao,This mail is with reference to youremail of date.Kindly allow us to examine the issueraised by you and we will surely revert to youMay we kindly request you to bear withus in the interim period.Yours Sincerely
R Viswanathan Customer Relations
—– Forwarded by CustomerRelations/Litolier/Jetairways on 02/27/2009 10:51 AM —–

http://draiswarya.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/airlines-and-disability/