SHENZHEN Airlines has promised to improve its service for disabled passengers after reaching an agreement with two handicapped men who sued the company on grounds of discrimination.
Wheelchair-bound Zheng Weining and a disabled companion were refused check-in at Beijing Capital Airport for a flight from Beijing to Shenzhen on Dec. 18 last year because the airline suspected the men would be put at risk that they themselves would be accountable for.
After protesting persistently, the airline let the disabled men board the flight but only after they signed a legal disclaimer saying Shenzhen Airlines would not be responsible if there was an accident.
Zheng and his companion took the airline to Bao an District People s Court, demanding 10 million yuan (US$1.51 million) in compensation.
Following the court mediation, Zheng and his companion dropped the compensation demand when the airline promised to provide special wheelchairs to the disabled passengers before the end of this year, the Daily Sunshine reported.
In addition, the airline would organize group activities for the disadvantaged within a year.
The airline has removed its nine regulations posing a strict restriction on transportation of wheelchair-bound passengers for each flight, the paper said.
A ban on transporting those who can t walk has been lifted.
Before filing the lawsuit, Zheng said he would use the compensation to establish funding to encourage people to press airlines to provide obstacle-free facilities and appropriate services for the disabled. The fund would also subsidize lawsuits for disabled people who were denied the right to fly.
Reports about Zheng s incident first spread on Sina s microblogging service and caused a buzz on the Internet. (Li Hao)
