Posted on 08/14/2004 1:30:18 PM PDT by Stoat
A British woman born without arms or legs is suing Air France, claiming she was told she could not fly because she has no limbs. Adele Price, 42, claims an Air France employee in Manchester told her "one head, one bottom and a torso cannot possibly fly on its own".
Ms Price, from Mansfield, Notts, is suing the airline in a New York court and is seeking unspecified damages.
Air France was not available for comment on Saturday morning.
Ms Price was born without limbs because her mother took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy.
She said in her legal action she is able to control her wheelchair and has travelled by air on many occasions.
Her legal action claims she bought a ticket in 2000 to fly from Manchester to New York.
After she had checked in her luggage, she alleges the gate employee prevented her from boarding the plane.
She says she was allowed on another flight, but only after she paid for a companion to fly with her.
Ms Price claims she suffered emotional and psychological damage because of the incident.
It's sad enough that this woman is without limbs through no fault of her own. Maybe we should lay off the jokes about her disability.
Frijoles for lunch?
Ha Ha I have read all the jokes & this is about a French airline... but...... I think I agree with the airline even if it is French. A person with this horrible handicap would need a full time assistance just to survive. Being on an airline with stewardesses wouldn't lessen this need. I have never had an airline employee who would blow my nose or wipe my butt or hold my drink cup. Who takes care of her when she isn't flying? Besides someone with no arms & legs would slip out of the seat belt.
They let kids fly by themselves that need assistance.
What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs water skiing?
Skip...
"Not that I am willingly defending anything 'france'. But, Air France or any establishment have the right to require the disabled to come with their own assistance."
Agreed, any business should be able to set any legal rules that it wishes and then allow the marketplace to work on it's own. But there's no need and no excuse for being so breathtakingly rude to someone.
Furthermore, I would suggest that if indeed Air France had in place a preexisting set of rules specifying that a disabled person will not be allowed to fly without an assistant, wouldn't it be more likely that they would have had something a bit more substantive in the way of a response to the press on this issue than "no comment?".
Also, does it seem likely that a person who is disabled in this way would go through everything required in order to plan a trip and buy a ticket and never mention, or never be asked, whether any special assistance was needed?
I haven't flown in a while, but in the past I remember always seeing a checkbox somewhere asking if I needed a special meal, special assistance, etc.
It seems strange to me that she got as far along as the airport checkin counter if there had been some sort of rule in place against her flying alone.
1. They should never have been so unbelievably rude
2. If they, as company policy, demand that disabled people be accomanied by an assistant then they should clearly state that prerequisite on the ticket or in accompanying documentation.
3. If Air France does indeed require disabled people to fly with an assistant and if this policy runs counter to FAA or DOT regulations, I would have no problem with Air France being barred from operating in the US, at least until the matter is rectified.
a guy with no arms and legs in the pool?
Bob
A guy with no arms and legs strung up on the wall?
Art
A guy with no arms and legs on the doorstep?
Matt
a lady with one leg shorter than the other?
Ilene
Same lady in Japan?
Irene
Good points. Agreed.
ROFLOL!!!!!!!
BOB TO THE TOP..!!!! AHHHHHH....STOP IT..!!! LOL!!!!
Next you'll be telling...she should have just quit while she was a head..!!!
I work with a quadriplegic who's favorite line for idiots is "I won't stand for that." Stops them everytime.
The French are rude to EVERYONE. It is part of their culture. An American would have been smiling and pleasant, but the answer would still have been the same: You can't fly without an assistant.
And finally, what do you call a guy with no arms and no legs hiding in a pile of leaves?
Russell
A British woman sues Air France in New York?
I knew once I saw the headline, I'd be in for some LOLs!
What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs lying in the infield on a baseball field?
Third base...
A Japanese gal with no arms standing in a doorway: Irene.
And a man with no arms and legs in a pot of hot water: Stu
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a mail box?
Bill...
If you threw her in the water what would she be?
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