Airport is still ‘poor’ for disabled fliers
MANCHESTER Airport has been blasted for letting down disabled passengers for the second year running – as 10 other UK airports gained a “very good” rating.
Birmingham, Gatwick and Stansted were also told they have not met the Civil Aviation Authority’s expectations and ordered to improve assistance.
But Manchester was the only one rated “poor” for keeping passengers with mobility issues and disabilities waiting a long time.
Some at Manchester had to wait on planes more than an hour before assistance arrived, research found.
The CAA annual report recorded more than three million requests for help at the top 30 UK airports a year – a rise of almost 80%.
Sixteen UK airports were rated “very good”, up from six last year.
This included Edinburgh, rated “poor” two years ago. Heathrow was now “good”, following its “poor” rating last year.
Paul Smith, from the CAA, said: “The improved performance of many airports means disabled passengers should have even more confidence to travel from the UK.
“But there are still too many occasions where things go wrong for passengers. Where we see examples of bad practice, we will not hesitate to hold airports to account and take action.”
Baroness Sugg, UK Aviation Minister, added: “It’s essential passengers with reduced mobility or hidden disabilities get the service they deserve every time they fly.”
And Leonard Cheshire Disability chief Neil Heslop said: “It is not acceptable that some major gateways remain poor for treatment of those with disabilities.”