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Qantas has announced a new partnership with Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) several months after settling a lawsuit by a disabled passenger.
The Flying Kangaroo says the two organisations will work together to improve the accessibility of air travel and promote awareness and understanding of assistance animals, as well as providing freight and logistical support for ADA to transport puppies in training.
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“Together, we want to help more Australians understand the important role of assistance dogs to empower connection, inclusion, and independence,” a Qantas spokesperson said on LinkedIn.
“Through this partnership, we aim to make flying more accessible to people with disability, so everyone can confidently experience the joys of travel.
“We look forward to supporting the Assistance Dogs Australia community by connecting assistance dogs, trainers, volunteers, and people with disability.”
Tim Taylor, CEO of Assistance Dogs Australia, said ADA is “delighted” to partner with Qantas and that their “alignment on safety, respect and ensuring a good flying experience for our clients is very important to us”.
“We want to improve the flying experience for our clients and our dogs, not just the ones who already travel frequently and feel comfortable doing so, but for those clients who have never travelled before, who have never felt comfortable to take their loved ones on a holiday for the fear of being a burden, or the worries of flying with an assistance dog,” he said.
“I hope our new partnership with Qantas inspires our clients and many more people with disabilities to exercise their rights and achieve the freedom, independence and excitement that comes with boarding a plane and that they feel assured that they have the employees of Qantas supporting them and their assistance dogs for their whole journey.”
The partnership announcement comes after Qantas last year settled a lawsuit with passenger Rachael Fullerton, who in 2022 was refused permission by Qantas for her assistance dog, Strike, to accompany her on a flight. Strike is trained to alleviate the effects of Fullerton’s disabilities and is recognised by the National Disability Insurance Agency as an assistance animal.
Despite the valid reasoning for why Fullerton would need Strike to accompany her on the flight, Qantas refused her request, with the airline saying Strike could not fly without meeting its requirements for assistance animals.
These requirements went well beyond what the federal Disability Discrimination Act requires in terms of training and qualifications for assistance animals. Qantas requested that Fullerton provide extensive information, including evidence of certification through one of two specific organisations, which are inaccessible to a vast number of assistance dog teams.
Qantas agreed to change its application and approval process for assistance animals so other dogs like Strike can obtain approval to fly without the strenuous process it previously employed.
