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Student Isabella Beale says Singapore Airlines discriminated against her on separate occasions for being an amputee.
Key points:
- Isabella says airline staff on two flights discriminated against her due to her disability
- A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines has apologised to her
- The federal government says an aviation white paper will examine the problem more broadly
Isabella, 23, was travelling with family to and from Europe in January this year when she says she was singled out for being seated in emergency exit row seats that had been booked by another family member.
During the booking process, Singapore Airlines currently lists those who are pregnant, those under 15, those with infants or those in need of "special assistance" as being unable to sit in emergency exit rows.
While Ms Beale is a congenital amputee without a left forearm, she does not require any assistance.
Ms Beale said that on her flight from Australia a staff member left her feeling humiliated in front of other passengers.
"All of a sudden an air hostess approaches me and, in quite a loud tone and quite, like frantic and rushed, she just says, 'Get out, get out of that seat now, you need to get up'," Ms Beale said.
"I'm a bit taken aback and I switch seats with my partner, which I think is going to be fine as long as I'm not directly next to the emergency door … everyone is looking at us at this point, and can overhear the conversation.
"[She] goes, 'No, get up you have to sit in the row behind'.
"I had a little cry just because it was such an affronting thing to happen … it was very humiliating and upsetting."
Peak bodies for Australians with disabilities say such incidents are common, and government and authorities can take action to improve the situation.
The federal government said disability discrimination and access to air travel would be a key focus of an upcoming aviation review.
Ms Beale said while she understands that not having someone with a disability in an exit row may be an airline's policy, that does not excuse staff treating people with disabilities poorly.
"I understand that there might be policy around this, I'm not saying I need you to sit me in emergency, I'm saying I need you to treat me like a human being," she said.
On her return flight to Australia, Ms Beale alleges she once again experienced discrimination from staff, even after she consulted with staff members at the check-in desk about where she could sit.
The check-in desk staff confirmed and reissued her ticket, which was still in the exit row of the plane.
"It was probably tenfold worse the second time around," she said.
"At first it's one woman and she comes up to me … it's almost take-off time and she goes 'Show me your ticket. You have to move'. Without speaking politely, without acknowledging me as an individual.
"She spoke to my partner and she spoke to my partner's mother, it felt like there was an assumption that I couldn't understand.
"And I don't know if that assumption came because I'm a person with a disability or if she assumed that because I had a physical disability, I had an intellectual disability, which wouldn't matter either way … you still speak to me. I'm still a person."
Ms Beale said after she asked for an explanation as to why she had to move seats, more airline staff came onto the flight.
"Then the second ground staff person comes on, and by this point there's two air hostesses, two ground staff, people in the entire flight watching this entire interaction occur," she said.
"The manager gestured at my missing limb and just said 'Well, the problem's obvious, the problem's obvious', and continued repeatedly to say that in front of an entire flight of people.
"I was really upset and hurt and felt like I was being vilified for my disability in front of all of these people, and they were all in a rush and all raising their voices and yelling."
In a statement, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson apologised for "distress or embarrassment caused by the request to move".
"Singapore Airlines takes allegations of discrimination seriously and will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment," the statement said.
"Following Ms Beale's complaint following her flight, Singapore Airlines undertook a detailed investigation, which found cabin crew operating the flight had determined that Ms Beale did not meet the safety and regulatory requirements to be seated in the emergency exit row.
"The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) requires passengers with a disability or passengers with restricted mobility to not be seated at the emergency exit. The requirements to be seated in the emergency exit row are available on our website and must be reviewed and agreed to at the time of booking.
"While this decision should have been made either at check-in or during the boarding process, it was not."
The airline said the crew was acting on the "potential safety issue" and their "interactions may have been rushed due to the time constraints of preparing the aircraft for departure".
The staff were given further customer training after the complaint.
Ms Beale said her family had been refunded the extra cost of the seats in the exit row.
Discrimination widespread throughout travel industry, Paralympian says
Paralympian Marayke Jonkers, who is also vice-president of People with Disability Australia (PWDA), said experiences like Isabella's were not uncommon, and that she had been through similar ordeals.
"Travelling with sporting teams and Paralympic teams, not just me but my teammates face situations where [details about] our abilities aren't listened to, or [my teammates] feel belittled," she said.
Jonkers says she tries to steer clear of flying as much as possible to avoid, for example, not being allowed on a flight because of the batteries that power her wheelchair.
"It's luck of the draw, who you've got at the ticket counter, whether you're allowed on the flight," she said.
Other poor treatment has included her wheelchair being damaged by staff, and being told that if there is an emergency she would be the last priority.
"If you have a visible disability, or any way that an airline knows you have a disability, you will be approached and told when you board the aircraft that in the event of emergency, you have to wait until everybody else has gotten out safely before you disembark the plane," Jonkers said.
"That one tells you how much you're valued in terms of everybody else's life versus yours.
"We've seen massive outcry in the last few years about lost luggage and damaged luggage … at least if you're missing your clothes and your toothbrush, you can go to the shops and you can buy a new one. When it's your mobility aid, you're completely dependent on it [and] it's very expensive."
Airports and airlines need to up their game, Jonkers siad.
She hopes upcoming recommendations from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability could provide guidance.
"It's incredibly important that every contact point you have with an airline, there's training in place that's been driven by people with disabilities working with the airlines to make these decisions so that we don't have situations when we get to the aircraft itself or the check-in counter," she said.
"It's a legislation issue along with an airline compliance issue, because at the moment there's nothing compelling airlines to be supportive.
"Some good clues for where to start on that are probably going to come out of the royal commission, which has been running for several years, and it's going to hand down its findings in September."
She said policies like the ones Isabella encountered needed to be reviewed and updated as soon as possible.
"We're talking about a systemic overhaul at a much higher level. It's not just those cabin crew on that one Singapore Airline flight; it's frequent with people with all kinds of disabilities that once you get on board the aircraft, you've got a situation like this, where it's really humiliating," she said.
"It feels to all the other people on the plane, like that person's disability is causing the problem, but it's not the disability.
"It's the systems and structures around it that have made that disability appear to be a problem."
Disability a key focus of white paper
Transport Minister Catherine King said the federal government's aviation white paper — a wide-ranging review of the industry — would examine issues of discrimination against people with disabilities.
"This simply isn't good enough. Every person boarding a plane should be treated with dignity and respect, as well as being given access to the services and supports they need," Ms King said.
"Our government is fully committed to further removing discrimination for people with disabilities in safely accessing public transport.
"I look forward to this white paper providing advice on how to increase access for all travellers with a disability, and I encourage all interested parties to make a submission."