Tiger Airways refuses to board disabled passenger

fymk SG

One thing that needs to be understood - there are varying forms of disabilities , you have the blind who can walk , the mute who can walk etc.

The thing is we don't know the policies of the company or the whole situation. However they did say they will take her if she is able to be assisted by the family. Now if you are an airline hostesss or steward - would u want to carry a person who is a quadriplegic ? Not I , I have enough injury to my own back to know the pain that comes with it.

Occupational Health and Safety regulations in Australia state clearly that no employee is to risk their own health in their jobs and that they have a right to refuse any requests which may endanger their safety. If the employee chooses to do so and injure themselves , they are not covered by the company fully.

So if the girl cannot walk and the family is assessed as fully requiring the assistance of the staff to help lift her , therefore endangering the staff in terms of occupational injury i.e. back injury. They have a right to refuse her onboard . I would say that it is fully justified.

oxford mushroom SG

As usual, Singaporeans are quick to demand their rights but are unwilling to pay the price for it. It is always the government's fault Mr. Green

fymk SG

The family are Australians with a handicapped daughter. I won't be surprised if the public has sympathy for them tho . I won't call that demanding - misguided is the word I would use - some of those who think Tiger airlines is at fault are not wrong but their views might not be right either if it was according to the scenarios I have given.

Like I said it is only one side of the story and I am just playing devil's advocate.

ceecookie SG

Were they whites?

foomwee88 SG

I m a SQ frequent flyer n believe in them 2 do the right thing!!!

perhaps, he or she may not fit for travelling at the material time!!!

I dont trust Aus travelllers,they may make up a loss 2 claim from Insurance company.

Dont judge the book just by the cover!!!!!!

Cpt.ZR SG

break the pilots leg and force him to a wheel chair and let him sit tiger airways.. see how that MF feels..

BillyBong SG

I think you've touched a chord with this.

It's all fine and dandy if the airline staff and captain are all smiles and allows the family to board. But assuming that along the tarmac and while being 'assisted' up the stairs, she accidentally falls and suffers serious injuries, what are the odds that the family will sue TIGER airways for 'gross negligence'?

Those same airline staff and captain may suddenly become red-faced for being 'naive' in going above their call to bend the rules out of compassion.

The fact is, the rules are there to protect the airline from legal issues; while it may be seen as inhumane, it is a required fundamental in running a service-oriented company.

The real question is: why did the SG office give a 'green light' to the family in the first place if the Australian office was going to veto it? Was any consensus between the two offices agreed upon before responding to the customer?

As a gesture of goodwill, they should negotiate a compensation package for the family.

LazerLordz SG

Right.. read it again. Is it wrong to side with the Australian family?

Fymk makes a good point here, which is more than your one-liners which do not serve to contribute more in terms of effective debate. There is a strong civil litigation culture in Australia, more so than Singapore.

The main issue here is why one party said A, and the other said B.

storywolf SG

Wrong !! Counter staff are not tiger airways staff !!! In a lot of country like australia - the airport have sub contract out the counter staffing , thus the airline have no say but to use the service and pay a fee for it. The counter staff are unusually strict. I encounter that before, for SIA even if you luggage weight over a little by a few kg , usually at other place, they will just let you go, but australia side even 1/2 kg they will not let you.

As for the article , it is highly strange !!! Disable ? if a normal disable person on wheelchair , I would guess there may not be much trouble..... but what happen if the person is disable ...... and really does not seem able to survive the trip without special medical care, which airline does not have- thus she maybe disallow on board..... the story maybe just 1/2 the story, as the writer seem to be purposely leaving out the detail of the disability.

oxford mushroom SG

Litigation?? Laughing Read the terms of the contract again...the passenger must be able to board without assistance.

To have a proper debate, you must first get your facts straight. We still do not know the full picture. To make criticisms based on allegations alone is myopic at best..

fymk SG

Actually they let me pass thru with an extra 2 kg in Australia ....In Singapore - they make me pay. Just depends on ur luck I guess.

If you read the article - I think the counter staff issued the tickets . They were just refused entry by the boarding crew.

BillyBong SG

It's really your luck if you got hit by the weight rule.

Checking in early usually avoids this complication. Again, it's really who is serving you. Remember that they are obliged to cut your weight if your luggage is has breached the minimum weight limits. On the other hand, the aircraft safety weight limit is usually extremely conservative. Thus early check-ins usually save you from this kind of problem.

On separate lufthansa, air france and SQ flights, i checked in with an average of 5kg above the limit and i had no problems.

iveco SG

Right, so it is all about coordination?

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