Sophie Morgan has joined forces with SNP MP Marion Fellows for a campaign to allow the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the powers to fine airlines unable to adequately look after Disabled passengers and their equipment.
The disability activist, from East Sussex, launched the ‘RightsOnFlights’ campaign today (Wednesday) after being left on an empty plane for hours just to have her wheelchair returned broken. SNP MP for Motherwell and Wishaw Marion has written a letter to the UK Government, where she claims high profile cases, like Sophie’s, are the ‘tip of the iceberg’.
She writes that disabled passengers regularly suffer degrading substandard treatment at the hands of airlines and other actors and wants to put an end to it altogether. Announcing the joint campaign on Loose Women today, Sophie detailed what their short-term and long-term goals are as they work together to ensure people with disabilities can fly safely without falling victim to inferior standards.
The author and campaigner said of Marion: "A number of her constituents have disabilities and she's a spokesperson for Disabilties for the SNP and she said 'I want you to come in and talk about accessible air travel campaign'. I was straight in there as quickly as I could."
The Loose Women host continued: "I had a meeting with her and we both agreed that the time was right for her to work her magic behind the scenes and for me to try and help with the campaign. So today we are launching the Rights On Flights campaign.
"I'm really excited about this because the last time I sat here I said 'I don't want to be sitting here complaining anymore I really want to be doing something about this'. So Marion, her team, and I and a number of experts have been working on what are the buttons that we can press and where can we see change."
She detailed: "The long-term goal that we really have our eyes set on is to one day redesign an aircraft so that a wheelchair user can travel in their chair on board a plane, just like you do on a train. You have a wheelchair accessible toilet, you have space etc. We've been told that's possible but it's just going to take a lot of work and don't get me wrong we aren't going to let anything stop us.
"I'm not alone there are other campaigners around the world working towards this and people within the industry I should add all working towards this goal.
"Marion has written a letter that's asking for the government to give the Civil Aviation Authority the power to impose fines when an airline or any of the other parties involved fail disable people. Say they leave us onboard an air craft for too long, there's stories in the news you might have seen it's shocking.
"Being left on board for too long, if your wheelchair or your equipment gets damaged like mine did or if the assistance just doesn't turn up or isn't appropriate."
After announcing the news on the ITV chat show, viewers took to Twitter to praise Sophie for her commitment to helping other people with disabilities. One wrote: "Thank you @sophmorgTV booking a flight or a holiday is like a military operation when you’re disabled. Anything that can be changed is so welcomed by me. #LooseWomen".
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