Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO, has opened himself up to questions. Here you can ask him directly about United Airlines becoming accessible.
Please don’t pass up this opportunity - Petition update · An elaborate PR Game · Change.org
Kudos for Mr. Kirby to make himself available for this exchange. It serves as another example of both his and United’s commitment to inclusion and belonging and the desire to set themselves apart. My question would be" “Does United want to be an airline that serves those with disabilities or is it interested in being the airline that sets the standard to ensure that this very important consumer segment is drawn to the airline and sees it as its primary choice for an airline?” What bold steps would he point to in United’s pursuit of setting such a standard. Thanks again so much.
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I would agree with the second half of your posting but am very dubious about the first. Scott has shown little if any desire to communicate or communicate with the disabled community for accessibility issues, especially those who have signed the petition.
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Hello
Considered expanding bathrooms or making accessible?
Designating spacious seating inside plane?
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I believe Mr. Kirby just wants to check the box. He’s under pressure by accessibility advocates to do something. His so call discussion will be empty and meaningless.
What we really need should be our government’s intervention requiring aircraft manufacturers to build aircraft with accessible bathrooms and proper accessible area for seating. Individual airlines will not be change their business models which means maximizing seat capacity and profits.
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Between our military with disabilities , the elderly with disabilities, and people with disabilities in the general population, airlines are NOT accommodating to people who are unable to leave their wheelchairs. Especially power wheelchairs. When are we going to serve this population to be able to fly?
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I think it’s wonderful that Mr. Kirby has opened up a line of communication between himself and the physically and Medically challenged population. My hope is that these conversations do not go on deaf ears. You know has been around for 50 years, disable people have been around for a lot longer. Why is it that no one has made an effort to help our disabled community to fly around the world. We have electric three wheel and four wheel scooters, we. have manual, scooters that we walk behind, walkers, and Wheelchair’s both electric Emmanuel. How does a disabled person come down the walkway to the plane in a wheelchair or device which is stopped at the doorway to the plane, and then they were on their own. I was under the impression that the airlines had wheelchairs that fit down the isles to help someone to their seat. What about an individual that needs to use the bathroom and needs that wheelchair to get from the seat to the wheelchair and then to the bathroom. Why can’t staff assist the individual to and from the bathroom. To me that seems like mirrors and smoke, open up a line of communication get all the information, put it into a little box and put it on the shelf. I am a major airline person. utilizing my Sky Miles on three different airlines. My feeling is the airlines makes so much money, don’t think for a minute they don’t, hoping they would actually make an area of the plane for disabled people where the seats are more comfortable, exiting in and through the seat is easier. And entertainment systems are not stuck in between the seats where they can’t get them out. And they should be done without charging the individual extra because they’re disabled. Maybe these airline executives should try to operate the way we do in a wheelchair on a scooter and try this scenario out themselves to see what we’re up against. Maybe they will get the full understanding of what we in the disabled community go through every day of our lives. We have dreams of traveling and seeing the world, which is not only curtailed by the airlines, but countries, other than the US and England, ‘London’ man-to-man offer handicap accommodations. I recently came back from Italy… It was horrendous. Their idea of handicap is nothing like our idea of handicap accessible both rooms bathroom elevators. I’m speaking from experience and conversation. I’ve had with so many other people that l meet during my travels that express the same concerns.
Let’s see how long it takes all airlines to truly come compliant for patriots that need Accessible services