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The Human Rights Commission
is taking action over the policy of two airlines that won't seat men next to
children travelling alone on planes. Air New Zealand and
Qantas have asked men to move if they are allocated seats next to
unaccompanied children. The policy came to
light after a man seated next to a child was asked to change seats with a
woman sitting in another row. Auckland man Mark
Worsley said he was told by a flight attendant from Qantas that the airline's
policy stipulated that only women should sit next to unaccompanied children. A Qantas spokesman
confirmed the airline does not allow unaccompanied children to sit next to
men and Air New Zealand says it has a similar policy. The Human Rights
Commission says the policy could be in breach of the Human Rights Act and has
initiated a process of dispute resolution between the companies and a number
of complainants. Acting Human Rights
Commissioner Joris De Bres says he's received five complaints about the
policy. On Wednesdaty a Motueka
man who felt so strongly about the issue climbed a ten metre high gum-tree
and stayed there for 22 hours in protest. Kevin Gill came down from the tree
only after a call from De Bres, who assured him the commission would take on
the case. Both airlines will be
called to mediation, which is voluntary, but which most organisations do go
ahead with. |
