The Australian: Qantas change for assistance animals on board after being sued for disability discrimination

Excerpt from the Australian:

A woman who sued Qantas for disability discrimination when the airline refused to allow her assistance dog on board has settled her case in what her lawyers say is a win for travellers with assistance animals.

Rachael Fullerton was told by Qantas in 2022 that her dog Strike did not meet its certification standards to travel on a domestic flight.

Senior solicitor with the Justice and Equity Centre Sheetal Balakrishnan said cases like Ms Fullerton’s showed why an aviation disability standard with proactive enforcement was essential to ensure people with a disability had equal access to air travel.

“People with disability should be able to expect fair and consistent treatment no matter which airline they fly with or which airport they fly to,” said Ms Balakrishnan.

“A comprehensive and enforceable national standard can set out rights for people with disability when travelling by air and require all operators to improve accessibility, so it’s not luck of the draw.”

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