'Thalidomide slur' flyer to sue

Air France told Ms Price she could not fly without a companion

A woman who was told she could not board a flight because she has no limbs says she has borrowed $10,000 to sue the airline in a New York court.

Adele Price, 42, from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, is seeking unspecified damages from Air France.

She claims an airline employee told her "one head, one bottom and a torso cannot possibly fly on its own".

Ms Price says she is pursuing the case in a US court because European laws on discrimination are not strong enough.

Ms Price was born without limbs because her mother took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy.

'Thalidomides banned'

Her legal action claims she was prevented from boarding the flight to New York by a gate employee after checking in her luggage at Manchester Airport in 2000.

Ms Price says a French employee at Manchester Airport told her "Thalidomiders are banned, accept it - you're just a torso".

She says she was allowed on another flight, but only after paying for a companion to fly with her.

"They said to me 'we'll give you 20 minutes to get somebody to fly with you and if you do we'll let you fly'."

"So I got somebody to fly with me but they charged me three times as much and called it administration charges.

"I feel annoyed that Air France think they can keep your money and call it administration charges."

Ms Price says the airline were informed of her disability by the travel agent 12 weeks before the flight.

Safety concerns

She said in her legal action she is able to control her wheelchair and has travelled unaccompanied by air on many occasions.

In a statement Air France said: "Ms Price was not sufficiently physically independent to comply with the basic safety regulations on board the aircraft, such as fastening and unfastening her seatbelt and pulling on and adjusting the oxygen mask without assistance, and therefore could not be accepted on board to travel alone.

"We take seriously and investigate any claims of discrimination by our personnel."

Ms Price is calling for the aviation authorities to impose worldwide standards on disability rules.