People with chronic lung conditions in the UK have taken a step forward in their battle against discrimination when using air travel.
Thomson Airlines will now allow people who rely on supplementary oxygen to bring their own or access the airlines’ supply free of charge.
The vast majority of airline companies do not allow people to bring their own portable oxygen supplies onto planes, and charge hundreds or even thousands of pounds to use the airline’s supply.
The British Lung Foundation has campaigned against this discrimination, asking all major airlines that fly from the UK to drop these charges.
There are currently 90,000 people in the UK with respiratory diseases such as COPD and cystic fibrosis who need supplementary oxygen.
British Lung Foundation spokesperson David Buckle said: “We are delighted that Thomson has changed their policy to make air travel more accessible for people with a lung condition who need supplementary oxygen.
“Having supplementary oxygen is as essential to someone with a lung condition as a wheelchair is to someone with other disabilities. We are now urging all other airlines to follow Thomson’s lead.”
Respiratory diseases kill one in five people in the UK. The UK’s death rate from respiratory disease is almost twice the European average.