Jetstar gets a 'please explain'

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Jetstar has been summoned to a meeting with the Australian Federal Government after a blind couple from Melbourne were refused a booking on the airline because of their guide dog.

''I cannot understand why any company would treat its potential customers with such a lack of respect,'' said the parliamentary secretary for disability, Bill Shorten. ''Many Australians rely on a guide dog to get around, and they should be able to catch planes as easily as the rest of the community.''

''People with disability have the same right to travel by air as the rest of the population. They should not be treated like children or as an inconvenience."

It was the second incident in as many weeks where Jetstar has faced a complaint from people with a disability.

Paralympian Kurt Fearnley dragged himself through Brisbane airport after being told to surrender his wheelchair and be pushed in one from Jetstar, which he felt was demeaning.

In the latest incident, legally blind couple Glen Bracegirdle and Kathryn Beaton tried to book flights to Sydney but were told by Jetstar staff, including a manager, that their Labrador guide dog was not allowed.

Jetstar's website says it has a policy for carrying seeing-eye dogs and the couple have previously flown with their guide dog on the airline.

Jetstar's head of corporate relations, Simon Westaway, apologised to the couple when The Age raised the complaint with him.

He said the airline's chief executive, Bruce Buchanan, planned to meet Mr Shorten before Christmas, but added ''there are no systemic issues''.

''We had a customer-service breakdown on this particular matter,'' he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News