Euro airports lift disabled cost
Disabled passengers with all airlines will be guaranteed free assistance at all airports, EU Transport Ministers have agreed. The new law will prevent any dis-crimination to people with a disability, with safety reasons the only exception. The new rules will apply to all airlines, including Ryanair, which fought a case in the UK over whether it or Stansted Airport should pay for the cost of transporting a passenger in a wheelchair through the terminal.
The airline currently imposes a 35 cent levy on all passengers to cover the cost of assistance for disabled passengers. The only condition attached to the law is that passengers requiring a wheelchair must notify the airport 48 hours in advance. Under the new rules, airports must provide the service. At Dublin Airport, for example, a private firm operates the service for most airlines. The move was welco0med by Transport Minister Martin Cullen, who said that there is no opt-out clause.