Tigerair relooks guide dog policy

Passengers on Tigerair’s flight to Phuket on 29 October might have been surprised to see a dog lying next to a passenger at seat 1E. The passenger was Ms Cassandra Chiu, a visually impaired person; and the dog Esme, her guide.

Ms Chiu’s flight together with her guide dog marks a milestone for Tigerair as it works on rolling out a new policy allowing visually impaired persons to travel on board with their guide dogs. Subject to approval from relevant authorities, the introduction of this new policy will be a culmination of Tigerair’s effort to improve the flight experience of persons with special requirements.

Apart from with working with the Guide Dogs Association of the Blind on the trial flight, the airline had also invited the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped and the Singapore Association of the Deaf to train its cabin crew earlier this year on ways to better assist passengers with visual and hearing impairments.

Ho Yuen Sang, COO of Tigerair, said, “Allowing guide dogs on board Tigerair flights would be in line with our care and concern for customers requiring special assistance. We hope to enhance the mobility of visually impaired passengers and empower them to access more destinations served by Tigerair. We will continue to take proactive steps to improve our capabilities to assist customers with special needs. We would like to thank the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for supporting this trial flight.”

sourced:traveldailynews.asia