Airline pays out to AIDS passengers
Print Edition
BUDGET airline Spring Airlines has paid compensation to passengers not allowed on a flight because they have AIDS.
The carrier has agreed to pay a total of 87,000 yuan (US$14,205) to two people with AIDS and an AIDS prevention volunteer, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.
This followed mediation by the Dongling District Court in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province.
The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit after being told that they could not board a flight from Shenyang as two had AIDS.
They accused Spring Airlines of discrimination against people with AIDS, and sought compensation and an apology.
An agreement was reached on Wednesday and the lawsuit was withdrawn the following day.
The two people with AIDS each receive 36,000 yuan, with the rest paid to the volunteer.
On July 26, AIDS worker Cheng Shuaishuai discovered that Spring Airlines’ regulations state that it does not accept people with AIDS on its flights.
Two days later, Cheng accompanied two people with AIDS to Xiantao International Airport in Shenyang, traveling to Shijiazhuang in north China’s Hebei Province.
When they told Spring Airlines staff that they had AIDS, they were not allowed on the flight and their tickets cancelled.
The case led to heated debate among AIDS and charity groups and the public, with Spring Airlines responding to criticism.
Spring Airlines President Wang Zhenghua said AIDS patients can take the airline’s flights and that the incident was down to a few members of staff “behaving nervously.”
Carriers should not discriminate, but AIDS patients should also keep a “low profile” about their condition when boarding, added Wang.
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