A coalition of 18 disabled groups are crying foul over low-cost carrier AirAsia's terms and conditions which they claim are discriminatory.

Presently, AirAsia does not accept passengers who are completely immobile while individuals who require assistance to scale the boarding stairs must not travel unaccompanied.

This has led to some 20 members of Barrier-free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (Beat) holding a short demonstration at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang yesterday.

Speaking to reporters later, Beat assistant coordinator V Murugeswaran described AirAsia's terms as "blatant discrimination".

He said the disabled persons were being denied access to the low cost carrier ever low cost fligh services moved from Kuala Lumpur International Airport last March.

"Contrary to their (AirAsia) tag-line, it seems not everyone can fly," said Murugeswaran ( photo ), adding that senior citizens and pregnant mothers were in the same predicament too.

Another Beat assistant coordinator Peter Tan believes that AirAsia's policy was a set back for Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

"By disallowing those with limited mobility to use their services, they are discouraging (certain type of) tourists from visiting our country" he said.

Part of larger problem

The protest yesterday was held more than two years after Murugeswaran, representing the Damai Disabled Persons Association (Damai), received a letter from AirAsia promising to look into the matter.

In a letter dated 10 May 2005 and signed by AirAsia Branding and Service Quality Regional Director Joyce Lai, the company promised that the same grouses raised by Murugeswaran during a previous dialogue earlier that year "will not go unnoticed".

Meanwhile, Beat coordinator Christine Lee said the AirAsia's policy was among the many examples of challenges faced by the disabled community to commute.

"There is a growing trend where the disabled are increasingly left out (in development plans)," said Lee, citing reluctance to make bus and rail services completely disable-friendly as an example.

She urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to form inclusive policies in the future, enacting a Disabled Persons Act and ratifying the "UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities".

Contacted today, AirAsia's corporate communications officer Mazlan Rashid said his company would not comment on the matter for the time being.