Welcome to the accessible travel news roundup, published on Fridays, which highlights interesting stories that are worth sharing, but not suited for dedicated, long-form coverage on this website.
Accessible travel and industry news from around the web:
- “Wicked” actress Marissa Bode says Southern Airways denied her boarding — The actress uses a wheelchair and said she was refused boarding because she could not climb stairs to access the airline's small aircraft, despite accommodations reportedly being arranged in advance. The airline operates the Cessna 208 Caravan, which seats only 9 passengers. It is worth having a conversation about how transportation companies should respond when their vehicles are inaccessible (my wheelchair could not be carried on a Cessna 208 passenger plane, for example). This is a serious reminder that turbo-prop and regional aircraft accessibility remains a serious weak point in air travel.
- Aer Lingus sued after allegedly losing and damaging passenger's wheelchair — Voice-over actress Precious Holloway has filed suit against Aer Lingus after the airline allegedly lost her power wheelchair upon arrival in Dublin and later returned it with significant damage. Holloway says the incident left her stranded, caused health complications and resulted in more than $10,000 in lost income, once again highlighting the life-altering consequences of wheelchair mishandling by airlines.
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- JetBlue CEO sparks discussion over "miracle flights," a disability trope that labels disabled travelers as abusers — JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty publicly discussed so-called "miracle flights," where passengers allegedly request wheelchair assistance to bypass airport lines and then walk off the aircraft unaided. I have written before about the "Jetway Jesus" trope and the harm it does to the disability community. While I concede that some people do abuse the system, I have still never seen one person that I suspected of doing so — and I've flown on more than 1,000 flights as a wheelchair user! Geraghty should turn her attention to issues like the time JetBlue nearly strangled me.
Brisbane to build world's first wheelchair accessible flying fox — A proposed adventure attraction in Brisbane, Australia could become the world's first wheelchair-accessible flying fox (zip line). Backed by millions in state tourism funding, the project would carry riders approximately 1,300 feet across the Brisbane River from Kangaroo Point to the City Botanic Gardens, reaching speeds of up to 45 miles per hour while bringing the rider's wheelchair along for the ride. The broader initiative also includes an accessible high-line picnic experience and custom wheelchair accessible boats, adding to the already exciting accessible experiences I wrote about earlier this year:
John Morris
- FAST Repairs for Wheelchairs Act Introduced in House of Representatives — Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) has introduced the "Facilitating Access to Service and Timely Repairs for Wheelchairs Act," which would prohibit Medicare Advantage plans from requiring prior authorization for wheelchair repairs. Traditional Medicare already prohibits prior authorization, but more than 35 million Americans are now enrolled in Advantage plans that do require it. Anyone who uses a power wheelchair understands the absurdity of requiring a doctor's approval to fix a broken joystick or replace a worn tire. This bill is common sense, and I hope it gains bipartisan traction.
- British Airways Scrambles After Denying Wheelchair User Boarding on U.S. Flight — Wheelchair user and disability advocate Samantha Bullock alleges that British Airways refused her transportation on a flight from New York to London. Bullock claims that the airline's staff said that her inability to reach the bathroom or evacuate the aircraft without assistance made her unfit to fly without a caregiver. On its face, such a refusal would constitute a violation of the U.S. Air Carrier Access Act and, at minimum, Bullock would be entitled to flight delay or involuntary denied boarding compensation under U.K. law.
