skip to Main Content
1800 437 825 Media
Qantas Labelled ‘unfair’ For Refusing Access To Assistance Dog On Flight

Qantas labelled ‘unfair’ for refusing access to assistance dog on flight

Qantas has been labelled ‘unfair’ for refusing travel to a woman with her disability support dog.

The airline says the animal did not meet strict training requirements.

However, there is no requirement for special accreditation for assistance animals in the Federal Disability Discrimination Act.

Qantas accused of disability discrimination

Author Fiona Wright told ABC News that Qantas refused to let her fly with her assistance dog Virginia to Alice Springs for the Northern Territory Writer’s Festival.

The animal helps Wright manage her mental health conditions, including anxiety.

Wright says she spent seven weeks providing documentation to prove her support dog had the appropriate training and qualifications.

Consequently, she claims the airline discriminated against her on the basis of disability.

She told ABC News:

“It’s hard for me to actually know why I wasn’t allowed on the flight because Qantas asked me to fill in a great deal of paperwork.

“The reasoning is very vague.

“They have just said that I didn’t prove the dog was an assistance dog but they haven’t let me know exactly what they require that would be proof.

“They also asked me to give quite specific information about my disability and what the dog has been trained to do, which I’m not 100 percent certain is legal.”

Fiona Wright said Qantas refused to let her fly with her assistance dog.

No requirement for accreditation

Previously, blind cerebral palsy sufferer David Milligan won his impairment discrimination case against Virgin. 

The airline refused Milligan travel on a flight with his guide dog.

The court found that despite states having specific rules regarding accreditation of assistance animals, the Federal Disability Discrimination Act does not contain any such requirement.

And further, the federal legislation overrides all state or territory laws anyway.

More clarification needed

Industrial advocate Miles Heffernan said assistance dogs need access to public places, including buildings and modes of transport.

“It is unlawful to refuse entry to a disabled person and their assistance animal,” he said.

“And that applies when they are entering a public building like a hospital, or catching a taxi or an Uber.

“There needs to be more clarification around what qualifies a dog as a legitimate assistance animal.”

Decision ‘unfair’

Cath Phillips, the head of the mindDog organisation that trained Wright’s dog, labelled the Qantas decision “unfair”:

“Qantas won’t fly mindDogs although all of the other airlines do…

“Virgin, Jetstar, and so far all international airlines have no problems.”


Call our team at Discrimination Claims on

1800 437 825

To connect with us, please follow us on

 

Back To Top