November 5th 2024.
A woman from Sydney has recently reached a settlement in a discrimination case against Qantas, a major airline. The case revolved around the airline's refusal to allow her to fly with her assistance dog. Rachael Fullerton, who lives with a disability, was denied the opportunity to travel with her beloved border collie, Strike, in 2022. Despite being able to fly with other airlines like Virgin Australia and Rex, Strike did not meet Qantas' certification standards to be allowed in the cabin.
After taking legal action in 2023, Fullerton has now settled with Qantas. As part of the settlement, the airline has agreed to change its process for approving assistance animals. Fullerton, who has been advocating for this change, believes that it will make a huge difference for people who rely on assistance dogs to travel independently. She expressed her relief that the changes were finally happening, but also acknowledged that it was long overdue.
Fullerton hopes that this case will set a precedent for improved disability standards and better practices from businesses in the future. She believes that it is unacceptable for people with disabilities to still face so many barriers to accessing services. She is grateful for the outcome of the case and believes that it was all worth it in the end.
According to the regulations set by Assistance Dogs International and the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act, assistance animals are allowed to accompany their owners in the aircraft cabin. However, Strike did not meet the qualifications for either of these organizations. Despite this, Strike had passed a public access test and was registered as an assistance animal. Last year, Fullerton had spoken to 9news.com.au when she was stranded at Melbourne Airport due to the airline's refusal to allow Strike on board.
Fullerton explained that without Strike, she would need someone to accompany her everywhere. She felt that her rights were being taken away from her, as she did not have the same rights as everyone else. However, things took a positive turn when Strike was finally approved to fly on a Qantas plane, just before the settlement was reached.
The legal team representing Fullerton, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, stated that refusing service to a person because they have an assistance animal is considered unlawful disability discrimination. Senior associate Bridie Murphy believes that this settlement is a step in the right direction. However, she also believes that there needs to be a national standard for accreditation of assistance animals and disability standards for the aviation industry.
9news.com.au has reached out to Qantas for comment on the matter. In the meantime, the news outlet recommends downloading the 9News app to stay updated on the latest breaking news, sports, politics, and weather. The app is available for download on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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