everybody.co.uk adds a ‘disability friendly’ world airline section.

10 January 2000

·        Great news for the world's 75 million travellers with disabilities, their families and carers.

·        ABTA welcomes new directory

·        Wins "Best of the European Web" award from Europe Online.

The first ‘disability-friendly’ world airline directory was launched last week. The airline directory has been incorporated into the same web site as the successful everybody.co.uk hotel directory. It now lists all the world's major airlines with information summarising each airline's procedures and regulations for handling the global concerns of people with disabilities when flying.

 Issues covered include carriage of wheelchairs, carriage of guide/service dogs, ability to provide oxygen, boarding procedures, seating arrangements and the airlines ability to provide for special dietary requirements. Also covered is disability training of cabin crew, whether or not medical clearance for passengers is required and the availability of emergency procedures in different formats such as Braille or large print.

The directory, like its sister UK hotel directory, is aimed at the estimated 75m+ people with disabilities worldwide who travel each year, their friends, families and carers. It also caters for anyone including travel agents and tour operators who need such information.

Jonathan Kaye the Managing Editor of the website said -

"The Allgohere Airline Directory is already creating enormous interest. The airlines themselves were co-operative on the whole, but there are still the likes of TAP Air Portugal, Air India and Air France who haven't provided information to date, and apparently think it acceptable for travel agents to have to write a letter to their head office each time a passenger with a disability wishes to fly with them! Hopefully the directory’s new airline section will make travelling far easier and more accessible for people with disabilities. "

ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, has welcomed The Allgohere Airline Directory. Keith Richards, ABTA's Head of Consumer Affairs said -

"Disabled or not, everyone has different needs. With over 650 tour operators and over 7000 travel agent offices carrying the well-known ABTA logo, the vast majority of package holidays are sold by ABTA companies. ABTA is working to dispel disability myths and stereotypes by making travel and mainstream holidays accessible to all. The provision of reliable, accurate accessible information is absolutely key to that. Everybody's Airline Directory is an important initiative and the information it contains can only help agents and operators ensure that the travel and holiday experience is enjoyable, safe and accessible to disabled customers."

Directory’s Background

In November, Everybody's Hotel Directory was estimated to have become the most popularly used UK disability-friendly hotel listing with 30,000 hits per month and constantly growing. Launched in January 1999, it lists over 2000 mainstream hotels all assessed as having both accommodation and a restaurant that are disability-friendly. The site also has an associates scheme allowing other disability-friendly UK businesses to be listed and hyperlinked.  The site has a large number of direct links from major sites and Internet Service Providers. In November the site won a prestigious "Best of the European Web" Award from Europe Online.

Managing Editor's Background

The Managing Editor of the website  is Jonathan Kaye  (28) and as a wheelchair user, he understands disability travel issues only too well.  He is also a disability consultant specialising in issues concerning access to goods and services.

 

ENDS

 

For more information contact :

Jonathan Kaye 

Telephone/Fax: 01923 840463

E-mail: editor@everybody.co.uk