Qantas refused guide dog and stranded blind woman

[Dual ground]

What a load of sensationalist garbage.



"QANTAS left a blind woman distressed and stranded interstate at night because the airline would not allow her guide dog on a flight."

Where specifically does it say she was refused travel because of the dog? It doesn't.



"Donna Purcell and her husband, Ric, of Sydney, met a wall of resistance from Tiger Airways when they tried to fly return to Adelaide with her guide dog for a weekend away last month."



"Eventually she convinced the airline to take her to Adelaide, but when Tiger cancelled the return flight, she approached Qantas."

She booked a RETURN flight with TIGER, not Qantas.

"Despite at least 20 seats being available on a plane that evening, Qantas asked her to stand aside while they processed other Tiger passengers."

Does it say that the flight departed with 20 empty seats? No it doesn't. Did the other Tiger passengers just walk up and get put on the flight or had they already contacted Qantas reservations and been accepted for carriage? I notice that isn't mentioned. Why I wonder?

"Qantas counter staff told her to call reservations, who told her dogs were not allowed in Adelaide airport. The airline finally booked them on a flight the next day."

The staff said dogs were not permitted in the AIRPORT, not that guide dogs were not permitted in the cabin. So where does the "journalist" get "the airline would not allow her guide dog on a flight" from? Is it possible that the staff were not told, or perhaps misunderstood, that the dog in question was a guide dog and not a pet?

"It left Ms Purcell and her husband stuck in Adelaide with no accommodation arranged or food for her seeing-eye dog, Hetty, a three-year-old black labrador on a special diet."

And were they the only Tiger passengers who didn't get on the Qantas flight? Why should Qantas arrange accommodation for another carriers pax? And in what way is it Qantas's fault that the dog had no food? Surely common sense dictates that the Purcells should have taken a day or twos extra food for the dog on their trip, particularly as it requires a special diet?

"Ms Purcell has lodged complaints with both airlines and the Human Rights Commission. ''I was shunned because I had a guide dog,'' she said."

Can't comment on Tiger as a quick look at their website doesn't seem to give information on passengers travelling with guide dogs. Anyone know what their Terms and Conditions of carriage are, with regard to Guide dogs? Qantas website is very clear. But then the Purcells were not booked with Qantas were they?

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"Qantas head of communication Olivia Wirth said the Qantas counter staff did not have the authority to make the seat allocation but the airline took the matter seriously and had apologised to Ms Purcell, offered to pay expenses and was reviewing its processes."

Seems to me that Qantas have been more than fair, considering that the couple in question weren't even their passengers OR responsibility anyway.