Romania flag carrier TAROM has settled a complaint filed over six month ago by a disabled woman denied boarding at Sofia International airport.
Dilyana Deneva works for the Centre For Independent Living Sofia, a Bulgarian disability organization part of the European Network on Independent Living. Last February, Dilyana was all set to fly from Sofia to Dublin on business.
“On 5th February 2014 I had to travel to Dublin via Bucharest with the Romanian airlines TAROM in order to attend a very important staff meeting,” Dilyana recalls.
Dilyana purchased her ticket from a travel agent several days before the date of her trip. “At the time of booking my flights I made it clear that I’m a wheelchair user and I need assistance at the airport, and that I did not require assistance on board of the plane as I can stand up and make a few steps to my seat with the help of my mother,” the young woman said.
The airline pointed out that delivery of assistance to disabled persons depends on passengers notifying their needs at least 48 hours before their scheduled time of departure, and the transmission of this information to those involved in providing the assistance.
TAROM also said that booking agents have a vital role in this process and should receive specific training on how to seek and record this information and to ensure that it is passed on correctly.