Ryanair defiant on wheelchair charge

BUDGET airline Ryanair is being accused of making a whopping 2,400% profit from charging passengers for using wheelchairs at Stansted Airport.

Ryanair has been ordered to provide wheelchairs on all flights after a recent court case.

It plans to charge each passenger an extra 50p per ticket to cover the cost. But the Disability Rights Commission reckons that the airline could provide the same service for just 2p.

Ryanair was last month found guilty of discrimination for charging disabled passenger Bob Ross £18 for a wheelchair ride to the departure gate at Stansted.

Ryanair, which made a profit of £165m last year, said it would appeal and in the meantime would levy the 50p charge.

The budget operator's defiance infuriated cerebral palsy sufferer Ross, 55, who was awarded £1,336 in compensation at the Central London County Court.

A commission spokesman said: 'In the year ended March 2002 Ryanair carried 6.6m passengers. Of these, 7,296 passengers requested a wheelchair and were directed by Ryanair to a provider, who charged them £18. Had the cost been shared by all passengers it would have added 2p to the cost of a ticket.'

A Ryanair spokesman said: 'We have never charged any wheelchair passenger for assistance at any airport. Our dispute is with Stansted owner BAA, which should pay for wheelchairs.'