SMa wrote:

i need to be in the loo a lot its not fair asking every one to keep movng all the time and i have lots pain so i sit by the window so i feel safe when i went to turkey this year with thomson they give me row 1 weeks before we flow out .

Petey, I'm a bit confused by the above - are you saying that you need the whole of row 1 for just yourself rather than that you are trying to get 2 seats together for yourself and a travelling companion? I think that the only way you could guarantee this is if you paid for extra seats because Thomson's response now starts to make a bit more sense to me if they are saying that if the flight isn't full and the other seats in row 1 aren't needed by others with medical needs then they'll alocate them to you at check-in, but that otherwise the best that they can do is guarantee you two seats in row 3. Am I reading this correctly?

I appreciate that wearing a bag makes life very, very difficult but the DRA laws only require them to make 'reasonable adjustments' and what constitutes a reasonable adjustment is still an area of developing case law. At the moment, it looks like they are saying that they think that guaranteeing you two seats in row 3 (window and middle) is a reasonable adjustment but guaranteeing you all 3 seats in row 1 so that you can sit by the window with room to stretch out and don't have to ask other passengers to move when you need to go to use the toilet isn't. I think that at the moment, the only way of challenging that decision on their part would be to seek legal advice as to how you could build a case proving that what they have offered you is not a 'reasonable adjustment' within the terms of the Acts.

I know that you say that they have done this previously but a lot depends on when this was and when you are travelling this time. The difference in response this time could be that you are now booked to travel in the high season/school holidays when they know that the plane is likely to be fully booked as opposed to your previous trip being in the low season when they knew that it was unlikely to be flying out with a full passenger load. I'm not trying to excuse their attitude, just look for possible explanations.

SM

PS Have you discussed this with your GP? A letter from them confirming what your medical needs are and endorsing the request for a row to yourself might just make a difference.