The three major budget airlines in Australia, have in place, a two wheelchairs per flight policy on domestic routes. This means, that if a third person who uses a wheelchair, wishes to fly with them on any one flight within Australia, that third person is refused a seat on that flight. An alternative flight may be offered, but sometimes it is on a different day, as many regional airports have only one or less flights per day.

Note!  It's about a person with a disability occupying a regular cabin seat, and the wheel chair being stowed in the hold with the rest of the luggage.

The two allocated seats are often taken by people who don't even travel with a wheelchair, they get wheeled to the gate, then get out of the wheelchair and walk up the stairs and down the aisle to their seat. Consequently they have inadvertently denied a genuine wheelchair user a seat on that flight. My (severely disabled) wife and I have witnessed this scenario many times.

An 80 year old disabled pensioner friend of ours, who lives in Hervey Bay Qld. has also fallen foul of this unfair and discriminatory policy.

When she had the matter of discrimination put before the Australian Federal Court, the Court ruled, yes, she had been discriminated against, but the airline would suffer unjustifiable financial hardship if they had to take more than two wheelchair users per flight.

The Court then Awarded costs of  $30,000.00 against her.

This issue is important to me, as my wife Glenise, who suffers from the incurable Friedreich's Ataxia, and travels with a small fold up manual wheelchair, has also been a victim of this insidious two wheelchair policy. Can you imagine the disruption to one's travel plans, especially if it is for a medical appointment.

 I sincerely thank you for taking the time to read our petition and respectfully ask that you show your support by signing it, and forwarding it on to your friends, thus helping to make a difference. I would also urge all thinking and caring people to, whenever possible, boycott selfish uncaring budget airlines until they change their two wheelchair policy.

It should be noted that Qantas do not have such a policy. and an absence of such, does not make them run late or cause their airplanes to fall out of the sky.

For those who would like to contact the petition recipients personally, the contact details are:- 

(Australian Human Rights Commision) communications@humanrights.gov.au Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/aushumanrights 

(Warren Truss, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister) W.Truss.MP@aph.gov.au Facebook:-https://www.facebook.com/warrentrussmp

(Graeme Iness, Australian Disability Discrimination Commisioner) Graeme.Iness@humanrights.gov.au Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/pages/Australian-Disability-Discrimination-Commissioner-Graeme-Innes/330684560302147

The two wheelchairs per flight policy affects anyone who needs assistance with boarding the flight. The person doesn't even have to be a wheelchair user, it could be an aged person who needs assistance as they can't walk very far, a person with a twisted ankle, who needs to be wheeled to the plane, instead of long walk on crutches. Don't think that this doesn't affect you because you don't have a disability. These airlines are saying "we will only help 2 people on to the plane"  It's ridiculous!!