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BLF supports Pulmonary Hypertension Association in the fight against discriminatory airline hidden charges

New research reveals bewildering ‘lottery’ of charges, policies, discrimination & woeful customer service facing ‘fit to fly’ disabled air travellers requiring in flight supplemental oxygen.

Charity bosses are calling on airlines to stop penalizing passengers with breathing difficulties after ‘secret shopper’ research by national patient support charity, Pulmonary Hypertension Association UK (PHA-UK) launched today at Westminster, unearthed a bewildering lottery of surcharges, policies & woeful customer service facing the estimated 90,000 potential ‘fit to fly’ disabled air travellers with lung conditions such as Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) or COPD who require supplementary oxygen in flight.   
 
Two hundred and forty-three MPs who have signed Early Day Motion 1444 tabled by Nick Ainger MP, calling on all airlines to allow disabled passengers requiring in-flight supplemental to either be able to use personal oxygen equipment or have oxygen provided for them by the airline, without charge will today learn the outcome of PHA-UK research conducted by the charity's members with 71 airlines who operate from and to the UK:

  • Less than a quarter of airlines surveyed supply free supplementary oxygen.
  • A quarter of airlines approached do not supply supplementary oxygen at all. 
  • Two thirds of airlines in the study would not allow disabled air travellers with lung conditions to bring their own oxygen for use in- flight.
  • Of the airlines that provide supplemental oxygen to otherwise ‘fit to fly’ passengers and charge for it, each levies a different fee which can range from £50 to £500 per trip, just to breathe! 

Nick Ainger MP, who has championed the issue in Parliament via EDM 1444 and a Westminster Hall debate is extremely disappointed at the findings. He said, "Six months after raising this in Parliament, the vast majority of airlines are still charging for supplementary oxygen and refusing permission for passengers to bring their own oxygen cylinders. They are taxing the disabled and discriminating against people who are fit to fly but have breathing problems.
 
“All airlines should now follow the good example set by some carriers who give disabled passengers free supplementary oxygen or allow them to bring their own cylinders or concentrators without charge.”
 
Commenting on the outcome of the secret shopper study conducted by PHA-UK’s disabled members, the PHA-UK’s Chairman, Iain Armstrong stated, “Since its inception 10 years ago, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association UK has provided over £60,000 worth of grants to people with PH to enable them to afford the ludicrously unfair charges levied by airlines for the provision of supplemental oxygen whilst travelling by air.  

"We could easily have doubled this amount if we had the financial strength to meet all the requests we’ve received. With the majority of airlines not allowing oxygen dependant passengers to bring their own supply they have no choice but to pay a substantial tax per flight to enable them to breathe.” 

He added, “I was also alarmed to learn of the widespread negative attitudes towards our disabled secret shoppers and the knowledge gaps of airline personnel. Sadly, all too often our researchers spent protracted periods of time ‘on hold’ and in some instances paying a premium rate for the privilege, speaking with an average of three different customer service staff and still not receiving the information they required. Alarmingly, in too many instances airlines were only prepared to share their supplemental oxygen policy, if our secret shopper had bought a ticket to fly first.”

He concluded, “I believe disability rights are not about having different rights but equal rights and I call upon all airlines that provide and charge for in-flight supplemental oxygen to follow the example of British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Thomson’s and Emirates and drop these grossly unfair breathing taxes, for all airlines to allow passengers, who require supplemental oxygen to be able to use their own oxygen equipment in-flight and for the airline industry to urgently review and address the way they deal with disabled passengers, especially but not exclusively, people living who require supplemental oxygen in-flight.”

Calls echoed by the British Lung Foundation, who have been working closely with PHA-UK.  Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: “Supplemental oxygen is as important to people with breathing problems as a wheelchair is to people who have difficulty walking.  This survey reveals the enormous challenges facing anyone who is dependent on supplemental oxygen and wants to travel by plane. We need all airlines to make it possible for people who need oxygen and want to fly to be welcomed and helped in the same way as other disabled people, not to be penalised financially and treated as second class citizens.”

-Ends-

View the full Secret Shopper report (pdf)

For press enquiries for Pulmonary Hypertension Association, please contact the  at PHA-UK on 0207 272 3915

For press enquiries for British Lung Foundation, please contact  or  on 0207 688 5564

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association UK (PHA-UK) charity number 1120756 provides support, understanding, and information for everyone whose life is touched by Pulmonary Hypertension (PH). 

A No 10/ Petition for the Prime Minister has been created to gain public support for the campaign.  Show your support.

*airline has a list of approved models
**POC can be used subject to meeting size restrictions & must be switched off on takeoff and landing
***on some aircraft - check at reservation
****information couldn’t be sourced at time of call(s) to airlines.  Awaiting written confirmation of policy details from airline.
 
Methodology:
PHA-UK’s researchers all live with Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) and were each provided with the verified contact details for the ticket reservation departments and a sample route for each of the airlines identified to fly from and too the United Kingdom. Fieldwork took place between the 1st of September and the 5th of October 2009.