The Guardian: Calls for change after Qantas refuses to fly British woman with mobility scooter due to its battery

Dr Jurai Darongkamas has travelled all over the world with her mobility scooter and says she never had a problem until she booked a flight with Qantas earlier this year.

The 60-year-old clinical psychologist, who lives in the UK city of Birmingham, flew to Sydney on Thai Airways without issue but was not allowed to board her connecting Qantas flight to her holiday destination in New Zealand.

Speaking generally, Erin Turner Manners, a senior solicitor at the Justice and Equity Centre, said airlines have obligations under discrimination and consumer law but this hasn’t prevented discrimination and poor customer experiences.

She said airlines should be investing in making their services accessible and that people with disability shouldn’t have to “take on big corporations like airlines and airports” to get a fair outcome.

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