If You Require Assistance, Talk To Us About A Refund. You Won’t Be Going Anywhere On Our Watch

So this is pretty stupid. Blind Trafford pals lose dream holiday because they can’t watch flight safety information

This is bad news for Carin, who is a blind and increasingly frequent air traveler. Oh, and I’m sure it also sucks for the many thousands of other blind people who have been flying around the globe without incident since the invention of the aircraft.

Lauren, a psychotherapy student at Salford University, says she was told that she and school friend Stephen, from Hereford, would not know how to put on a life jacket or an oxygen mask.
But she said: “I have spoken to other blind people who said they were shown how to put on the life jacket and explained the plane instructions before they even boarded. So what is it about us that means they can’t?”

A statement from the You’re Seriously Not Doing Yourselves Any Favours department of Thomson Holidays, who the trip was booked through, had this to say:

“Both Ms Wigglesworth and her partner completed a special assistance form, in which they stated they would need assistance to complete a number of safety related actions.
“These requirements are taken from the Department of Transport’s Code of Practice, to which Thomson must adhere.
“Unfortunately, as Ms Wigglesworth and her partner are not able to complete these actions without assistance, we are not able to allow them to travel unaccompanied.
“We have offered Ms Wigglesworth a full refund or the option to add a passenger to her booking who could assist her and her partner on their trip.”

One thing sticks out immediately. If people who need help can’t fly alone, why do they have to fill out a form? Requesting assistance should be enough basis for refusing them outright if that rule is an actual thing, which it of course isn’t.

I’m not sure if Thomson is lazy, incompetent or both, but I hope these people find a company with a clue and get to go on their trip and never have to deal with anyone like them again.