Challenges facing PwD travellers

BANGKOK, 30 August 2010 – Known more for its marketing genius than the quality of its low-cost seats, AirAsia again outpaced its rivals earlier this month by becoming the only travel industry company to be represented at a regional conference on facilitating accessibility for people with disabilities (PwDs).

Although all airlines facilitate travel by PwDs, AirAsia has been faster at capitalising on the marketing and corporate social responsibility benefits of this service as an intrinsic part of it’s “now everyone can fly” marketing slogan.

With an estimated 400 million people suffering from disabilities in the Asia-Pacific, half of whom are women, and 58 million in the ASEAN countries, the market opportunity is clear. As most PwDs also travel along with a care-giver, the prospective revenue stream doubles.

Although CEO Tony Fernandes himself did not make the presentation at the August 19-20 meeting on South-to-South Cooperation on Disability, he was robustly featured in its various slides, addressing and mingling with several beaming PwDs in wheelchairs.

The meeting was organised by UN ESCAP in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Development Centre on Disability (APCD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.

The objective was to assess progress made by countries in implementing the projects and programmes under the second Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 and to look into the prospects of initiating a Third Decade.

APCD President, Tanin Kraivixien said that for the first time, the focus of this year’s meeting was the ASEAN sub-region in order to help create a sub-regional mechanism to cooperate in developing legislation and policies related to equal opportunities and inclusive development for PwDs.

He added, “The ASEAN sub-region can be a model sub-region to promote disability and development policies and legislation.”

Noting that the APCD has more than 1,000 ex-trainees and approximately 200 associate organizations in the Asia-Pacific, Mr Tanin said that this year’s meeting was “epoch-making since the social business sector has been invited to join.”

AirAsia was represented by chief, guest services department, Kenneth Chan, along with representatives from the Mall of Asia in Manila, Standard Chartered Bank, amongst others.

Mr Chan acknowledged that AirAsia’s policies when it first began operations were not all inclusive. Guests with reduced mobility were not appropriately catered for. However, after representatives from organizations of people with reduced mobility met with AirAsia to challenge it’s “everyone can fly” slogan, the airline admitted it had been wrong and decided fix it.

The result was an “inclusive” policy that seeks to boost the human capital development of staff as well as enhance the services and facilities offered to passengers. The airline also decided to “champion the cause of guests with reduced mobility with government authorities, airport management, ministries, etc.”

Stressing that a lot more can be done by the region’s airports to install better facilities and services for PwDs, Mr Chan said AirAsia “engages in constant dialogs with organizations representing people with reduced mobility to gauge travel needs and requirements – these may change with the course of time, and we have to be very up to date to render the best services.”

Meanwhile, the first New Zealand Conference on accessible tourism, travel, and hospitality for people with disabilities and seniors will be held in Auckland on 4 October 2010. Further details: http://nztri.aut.ac.nz/accesstourismconference/index.html