House of Lords set to debate air travel for disabled passengers tomorrow
The House of Lords is scheduled to consider the following question for short debate tomorrow from 1pm (23 November 2023): “Baroness Brinton (Liberal Democrat) to ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of air travel for disabled passengers.”
The debate can be streamed for free on Parliament TV. Alternatively, a transcription of the debate will be available around three hours after it has taken place in Lords Hansard.
This debate is set in the context that some disabled passengers or those with reduced mobility have had poor experiences when using assistance services at airports in recent years.
The House of Lords says that these experiences became worse in 2022 due to staffing shortages. It adds that the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have consulted on ways to improve consumer rights for those who require assistance when travelling by air.
The House of Lords points to several topics of discussion regarding air travel for disabled passengers.
These include:
- The existing rights for passengers with reduced mobility or disabilities
- Consistent failures of disabled people at airports making headlines, despite existing rights
- The CAA’s assessment of aviation accessibility, covering both concerns and improvements at airports and airport services
- UK Government policy on inclusive transport
- Reforming aviation consumer policy to improve experiences for people with reduced mobility or disabilities
Read more about the House of Lords topic on air travel for disabled passengers ahead of the debate.
The most recent UK CAA report, covering the period April 2022 to March 2023, revealed 18 airports consistently achieved a good or very good rating, which represented a significant improvement over the year prior.
DfT launched a training video in June 2023 aimed at airport ground handlers to ensure mobility equipment is being handled correctly and minimising damage to vital mobility aids.
Earlier this year, the House of Lords examined the use of assistive technology to support those with special educational needs (SEN).