Airlines Faces Backlash After Refusing to Board Passenger With Parkinson’s
Airlines Faces Backlash After Refusing to Board Passenger With Parkinson’s
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https://www.fodors.com/news/news/turkish-airlines-faces-backlash-after-denying-passenger-with-parkinsons-boarding
Turkish Airlines didn’t let him board without a doctor’s note.
Airlines can deny boarding to passengers if they are deemed unfit to fly, but a passenger alleges Turkish Airlines recently used a medical condition to turn him away at the gate.
Former British presenter Mark Mardell says he was prevented from boarding his flight from Istanbul to London because he did not have a note from his general physician confirming he was fit to fly. But it did not stop there—he says he was left alone at the airport to retrieve his baggage and spent seven hours trying to figure out where he needed to go.
“I feel so humiliated. It’s this terrible feeling that you are so vulnerable. I nearly burst into tears about five times,” he said.
Mardell, 68, traveled to the Turkish capital on October 20 with his son Jake on Wizz Air, which did not ask for any doctor’s note. Later that week, the father and son went to the airport for their respective flights—Jake lives in Berlin and had to travel for work. On return, Mark was flying with Turkish Airlines, and when Jake went to the desk to request assisted boarding for his father, explaining he had Parkinson’s, staff told him Mardell needed a doctor’s note to board. Since Mardell was not carrying such a report, the staff allegedly denied him boarding.
The former BBC journalist was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago, and he has started using assisted boarding as his disease has progressed. Parkinson’s is a progressive movement disorder of the nervous system, affecting people differently. Symptoms include tremors, muscle stiffness, speech changes, cognitive issues, fatigue, and mental health problems.
Mardell recalled a staff member at the airport being particularly unkind and telling him, “Look at you—your hands are shaking.” He does not experience tremors, and it is likely that he was shaking due to the stress of the situation. His main symptoms are slow movement and a weak voice.
Mardell insisted that Jake board his flight, and Mardell was left to retrieve his luggage at the airport without assistance. He spent hours trying to locate where to go and said he wanted to stop walking and sit down. Parkinson’s can cause fatigue and freezing, or an inability to walk. “The odd thing was that they say it’s for your own good and then they let you stagger around an airport.” Another passenger helped him find the right area, where he had to wait several more hours before his bags arrived.
His son booked him a hotel for the night and another flight with Wizz Air the following day. Mardell made it home on October 26 without the carrier asking for any additional documents.
Since then, he has complained to the airline and received a full refund for his missed flight. He has also complained to the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority, which called the policy unlawful and raised the issue with the airline.
Traveling With Parkinson’s
People with Parkinson’s disease can travel—even by air—without causing harm to themselves or others. The American Parkinson Disease Association advises travelers to visit their doctor to “confirm medication supplies, discuss timing adjustments for time-zone changes, and even get the names of local doctors at your destination (especially for international trips).” It also recommends using wheelchair assistance, even for those who don’t normally need it.
It’s a good idea to have a doctor’s note explaining your condition, medications, and potential complications when traveling. However, airlines typically don’t request it if you can travel independently.
Until recently, Turkish Airlines required passengers with Parkinson’s disease to have a report from their doctor declaring they were fit to fly. The report had to include “a statement specifying that the passenger can travel accompanied or unaccompanied” along with the doctor’s name, diploma number, and signature. No other airline requests such a note from passengers with Parkinson’s. After this story became public, the airline removed the requirement from its website.
United Airlines specifies that boarding may be denied if a passenger cannot complete the flight without urgent medical assistance, poses a risk to the health and safety of other travelers or crew, or does not submit a medical certificate at least 48 hours before the flight.
Airlines such as SAS, Air Canada, and KLM include information about medical clearance on their websites, but they do not single out any particular condition like Parkinson’s. They may require a medical certificate if a passenger has had surgery, is suffering from a contagious disease, or has a cognitive impairment.
United’s ‘Son of Concorde’ Aircraft Will Travel to Europe in 3 Hours, Asia in 6
By Steve Fitzgerald CC BY 2.0
https://www.fodors.com/news/news/united-airlines-son-of-concorde-will-travel-to-europe-in-3-hours-asia-in-6
The X-59’s “quiet boom” technology could make supersonic commercial flights over land a reality by 2029.
There have been no commercial supersonic flights since the Anglo-French Concorde retired from scheduled service more than 20 years ago. But the U.S. space agency NASA is testing an improved supersonic aircraft model that could ultimately be the prototype for a new generation of supersonic commercial passenger aircraft.
Lockheed Martin is constructing the X-59 prototype for NASA in California and is planning to operate test flights of the aircraft over nearby communities to test the sonic boom-dampening technology it has developed for use onboard the aircraft. The sonic boom is a side effect of supersonic travel—that is, travel faster than the speed of sound. When aircraft break the sound barrier, the shock waves that travel to the earth’s surface can be alarmingly loud, oftentimes rattling windows and chipping glassware or china stored in cabinets.
Until now, sonic booms have also generated noise in excess of 110 decibels, the equivalent of a thunderclap or a large nearby explosion. Because of the sonic boom, Concorde and supersonic military aircraft were restricted to operating faster than the sound barrier only away from populated areas or over oceans.
Concorde’s debut in the United States was delayed several years from when the aircraft first entered service because of concerns about noise pollution, but the aircraft was ultimately cleared to operate from U.S. airports in 1976. Air France and British Airways, the only two airline buyers for the aircraft, flew it reliably across the Atlantic for nearly three decades before Concorde eventually became unprofitable because of high fuel prices and dwindling passenger interest in the high fares required for supersonic travel. Both airlines retired the aircraft from service in 2003.
The X-59, which is projected to fly at 55,000 feet at a cruising speed of Mach 1.4, 925 mph—nearly one and a half times the speed of sound, will muffle the sonic boom to more of a “sonic thump”—roughly equivalent to the sound of a car door closing. This will allow the aircraft to operate at supersonic speeds overland and for a longer portion of the transatlantic crossing than Concorde, allowing it to roughly equal that aircraft’s time between New York and Europe despite its lower supersonic cruising speed (Concorde cruised at Mach 2.02, 1,330 mph).
A ban on commercial supersonic flight in U.S. airspace was lifted in June 2025, paving the way for supersonic flights even to destinations not oceans away.
Commercial supersonic aircraft are already in development. Boom Supersonic, a company with firm orders from United Airlines, conducted a supersonic test of its prototype aircraft in January. The aircraft, which Boom calls the Overture, has 15 firm orders from United Airlines “once [it] meets United’s demanding safety, operating, and sustainability requirements.” The aircraft will operate on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and is currently estimated to enter service in 2029.
Boom estimates the Overture will slash flight times from Los Angeles to Sydney to just under nine hours—down from 14 and a half hours today. San Francisco to Tokyo will take just 6 1/2 hours—down from 10 1/2 today. Newark, New Jersey, to London, England, will be 3 1/2 hours. Overture, which will carry 60 to 80 passengers, is planned to operate at Mach 1.7, or 1,304 mph, and also has firm orders from American Airlines and Japan Airlines.
Concorde operated without a passenger fatality for 24 years, from 1976 until 2000, when an Air France charter flight crashed soon after takeoff from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The aircraft was grounded for 15 months while modifications were made, then flew for another two years before being retired for commercial reasons.
I Got an Airline to TRIPLE My Lost-Luggage Reimbursement, and You Can Too
Aris Suwanmalee G/Shutterstock
https://www.fodors.com/news/travel-tips/how-i-got-2-200-from-tap-after-a-15-day-lost-luggage-nightmare
Buried in international passenger-rights law is a system that gives flyers far more leverage than airlines like to admit.
By the time my suitcase finally turned up—three days after I’d returned home and was already en route to another assignment—I’d spent my entire 15-day work trip in Portugal without a single item I’d packed.
The bag never made it onto my flight from Dulles to Lisbon, sat in Lisbon Airport for most of my trip, and somehow still never reached me despite daily calls and repeated promises from TAP Air Portugal that it would. And because I was shooting photos during the trip, my camera equipment filled my carry-on bags, all my clothing and toiletries were in that checked bag—which meant I spent nearly two weeks rebuilding a workable wardrobe from scratch while juggling a full reporting schedule. When TAP initially offered me only $800 in reimbursement, it wasn’t even close to covering the basics I’d had to buy.
That moment—when an airline’s “final offer” doesn’t remotely reflect the reality of your experience—is where many travelers give up. But buried in international passenger-rights law is a system that gives flyers far more leverage than airlines like to admit. By staying organized, citing the rules governing delayed baggage, and refusing a nominal payout, I ultimately got TAP to increase my reimbursement to $2,200—nearly triple the original amount. This is the story of how I did it, and why more travelers could do the same.
An Egregious Loss
The lost luggage saga began the moment I landed in Lisbon. At the counter, I filed a report requesting that my bag be delivered to my hotel. But the agent entered the wrong information, marking my file as if I would retrieve the bag myself—impossible, since I was traveling to Porto the next morning and my bag wouldn’t arrive for at least a full day. That small clerical error snowballed into not seeing my luggage again until after I returned home.
Every day of my trip, I called TAP for updates. Every day, I was told the bag would arrive “later today.” It never did. I repeatedly updated my hotel details in their system, only to find agents contradicting one another. One confidently informed me my bag had been delivered to the U.S. five days prior—a claim that, unless she had access to a time machine, wasn’t remotely possible.
Meanwhile, I had reporting to do. Because I carry my cameras onboard, everything else—business dresses for meetings, undergarments, pajamas, toiletries, shoes—was in the missing suitcase. I had to replace enough to stay presentable, all while trying to minimize the expense. I bought far fewer toiletries than I usually use, chose cheaper clothing options, and tried to be thoughtful about what would get me through the next day rather than shopping for comfort or style. And hours before I was set to fly home, I frantically searched for a suitcase to bring everything home—a several-hundred-dollar expense for a piece I didn’t want, but was all I could find.
The Lowball Offer
All of this—plus more than 40 hours on the phone with TAP—completely overshadowed the trip.
After returning to the U.S. (and heading straight into another work trip), I filed my reimbursement claim, which included a detailed list of the items, why they were necessary, and the cost, as well as the receipts proving purchase. After tax, the total came to just over $2,300.
However, TAP responded to my email, stating, “The receipts you shared are too high,” and offered only $800 in reimbursement.
But because I had documentation—and because I knew my rights under the Montreal Convention—that lowball offer didn’t stand.
Instead of firing off an angry email, I responded with a firm, factual message laying out exactly why the offer was inadequate.Here’s the exact statement I sent TAP:
“While I appreciate your response, the proposed reimbursement falls well short of covering the documented, necessary expenses I incurred due to this significant disruption.
“To be clear: TAP did not return my baggage for the entirety of my 15-day business trip. As a result, I was forced to purchase essential items—including clothing appropriate for meetings, toiletries, and other day-to-day necessities—in order to carry out my work obligations without the contents of my checked luggage.
“All expenses submitted were both reasonable and necessary under the circumstances, and I have provided full documentation and receipts. They are well within the bounds of what has historically been accepted by TAP and other international carriers in similar cases. Such reimbursement should reflect the actual disruption experienced—not a nominal or arbitrary amount.
“As TAP is aware, under the Montreal Convention (Article 19) and reinforced by TAP’s own Customer Service Plan (May 2023), passengers are entitled to reimbursement for such expenses when baggage is delayed. This is not a goodwill gesture—it is a legal obligation. Your current offer does not reflect the reality of the hardship imposed by the delay, nor does it meet the standard of care outlined in international passenger rights law.
“I respectfully request that TAP reassess my claim and reimburse the full submitted amount. I trust TAP will recognize the importance of honoring this obligation and resolve the matter appropriately.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt and fair resolution.”
It wasn’t a rant. It wasn’t a threat. It was factual, specific, and grounded in TAP’s own obligations, explaining why the initial offer didn’t come close to meeting the standard. Still, it took two follow-ups and nearly two more months before TAP responded, increasing the reimbursement offer to $2,193.
It didn’t undo the hours of stress or the fact that my bag sat in Lisbon Airport for most of my trip while TAP repeatedly gave inaccurate updates. But it did finally compensate me fairly under the law.
How to Stay Strong
This entire ordeal taught me something: airlines bank on passengers not knowing their rights or not wanting to deal with the hassle. Many people accept the first offer because it is the path of least resistance. I didn’t get more money because I fought aggressively. I got it because I stayed organized, held them to the regulations that govern their operations, and refused to accept a reimbursement that didn’t remotely reflect what happened.
But if your luggage is missing for days—or in my case, the entire duration of an international business trip—you have every right to be reimbursed for what you reasonably needed to buy.
CEO pushes go button on Sofitel, luxury cohorts
Accor’s Maud Bailly discusses branding refreshes, pipeline pushes for four brands under her guidance.
Maud Bailly is CEO for Accor’s Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery Collection and Emblems Collection brands.
https://www.hotelinvestmenttoday.com/Development/Brands/CEO-pushes-go-button-on-Sofitel-luxury-cohorts?
By Stefani C. O'Connor
NEW YORK CITY – Basking in the success of the recent reveal of the multimillion-dollar renovation of the Sofitel New York, Maud Bailly, CEO for Accor’s Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery Collection and Emblems Collection, is set on U.S. and global growth as she pushes to limelight the four luxury brands on her watch.
At the reintroduction of the 398-key Midtown Manhattan Sofitel as the brand’s U.S. flagship, now rife with Art Deco inspiration and carefully curated design, Bailly shared with Hotel Investment Today how she has been strategizing and what’s ahead.
Tapped three years ago to steer the futures of the brands, including the recent rollout of Emblems Collection, the executive took a hard look at the brands’ status worldwide in terms of meeting not only guest expectations, but those of investors as well.
The core of her game plan became revamping Sofitel’s branding, leaning heavily into its French heritage, investing significantly with renovations to existing properties—notably its six North American hotels—and growing its portfolio.
“We started by assessing the network positioning, understanding which products were not up to the standards anymore and then we questioned ourselves about what we were standing for,” Bailly said. “It was a huge trip all around the world to assess our products’ quality, and understand the deep need for renovation, like in New York, which was obvious. Having a discussion with each owner, convincing them about the need for renovation. The good news is that it worked because after three years as of today one-third of Sofitel network (of some 120 hotels) is currently undergoing renovations,” she said.
This effort, quite literally designed to elevate the brand, is one Bailly sees resonating with investors. “We are going to open 39 new Sofitels by 2030,” she said, stressing she is leaning strategic rather than opportunistic when considering properties to bring into the fold.
“Now that we’ve managed to craft a very clear, distinctive identity the last thing I want to do is dilute it,” she said. “To me, luxury is all about consistency: consistency of the product, consistency of the culture. Owners are coming to us with assets or they are launching RFPs. In the case of RFPs, we’re looking at the destination, we’re looking at the product, we’re looking at the inventory, we’re looking at the investment capacity of the ownership. If we do believe it’s a real 5-star product, the designer is a good one, it’s a good destination or a very nice venue because it has something specific around heritage or history, then we can compete.
“The last thing I want to do is to be opportunistic—saying yes and giving Sofitel brand to every new lead. I would have a wonderful net unit growth performance but within two or three years I would look silly. Because people do expect consistency in the promise,” she said, adding, “I do say ‘no’ more often than I do say ‘yes.’”
Investor profiles
Bailly said she’s been being approached by a mix of potential investors, including “hospitality families” who have been working in the industry for generations, and noted one of her “favorite” inquiries is when other Accor brand owners/developers reach out.
“I do love it when I have existing owners willing to extend their network with us,” she said. “It’s been the case of owners of MGallery in Athens [the 177-key Athens Capital Hotel and Athens Suites Hotel]. They are entrusting us again with two new assets, which are actually going to be [among] the very first Emblems, my new boutique hotel collection luxury brand.”
Lampsa Hellenic Hotels reportedly will redevelop the Elatos Resort on Mount Parnassus into the first Elatos Resort, Emblems Collection in Greece. The renovated resort is slated to open in second-half 2026.
The first flagship Emblems Collection hotel, the Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa in Wiltshire, England, opened last month.
The penthouse suite at the redesigned flagship Softiel in New York City
“I’m also going to have two new MGallerys with existing owners of [the brand] near La Rochelle in France and open with them another MGallery in Valmorel and in Île d'Oléron on the ocean. I like the idea to keep growing with the same owners because those owners have been so happy with our performance, where we deliver the promise,” Bailly said.
Additionally, she wants to grow Sofitel Legend from its existing half-dozen hotels housed in iconic structures with locations in Amsterdam, Aswan, Cartagena, Hanoi, Panama City and Xi’an. Current plans call for a Sofitel Legend to be developed by Sukhani Ventures in Jaipur, a first for the brand in India, and slated to open in 2028, as well as The Mozart Prague, owned by the Courbet Group, expected to open in 2027 following an extensive renovation.
The CEO also is entertaining new owners and investors. “I was in South America and Mexico two months ago. We had a very nice brand activation between Sofitel and [Parisian restaurant] La Tour d’Argent In Sofitel Mexico City; it was a wonderful gala dinner. We invited new investors interested in the Sofitel brand, [but] who had some prejudice about the brand. So, I spent a lot of time with them, showing them the new brand positioning, how the network was getting cleaned, how the network was growing. The day after, I received an MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] for 108 Sofitel branded residences,” said Bailly.
Traditional funds are buying assets, as well. “It’s a more short-term approach. I must confess that sometimes it’s easier for us to work on a more long-term approach because you know you are going to invest in the relationship for many, many, many years with the same families and I believe time is value.”
Bailly noted there also are some “very nice funds” that are investing into the assets for four or five years. “They are helping us to renovate the product to enhance the business performance of the hotel, and then they are going to sell it again.
“And then you have some individuals who have been extremely successful in their previous career, and during their 50s or 60s they just want to have a passion and buy a hotel… They come to us and say: ‘Hey, I don’t know anything about hospitality, but I want a luxury brand and I need you to take care of it for me.’”
How the brand will grow physically will mostly be via conversion, Bailly continued. “Also, because there are a lot of constraints about new buildings. You’re looking for land and space, there’s not that much, especially in mature luxury markets… I would say maybe two-thirds conversions and maybe a third new buildings, but mostly in Asia and in new markets. In major luxury markets, it’s mostly conversions,” she said.
Brand distinctions
While each of the four brands under her watch are cloaked with the luxury mantle, Bailly sees clear lines of distinction. “Sofitel and Sofitel Legend are what we call hard brands. It’s mostly managed hotels and they do have very strong criteria. If you want to open a Sofitel or a Sofitel Legend, you must comply with them.”
The executive stressed the refreshed four pillars that support the brand: French Zest, i.e., bringing a bit of France worldwide via the hotels; consistency and a heartfelt service culture; a reinvigoration of its logo as a cultural link to reflect its significance as “standing for the beauty of encounter between cultures, ideas and people”; and a commitment to luxury.
She also cited new partnerships, such as it has with Air France in providing custom bed toppers in business class and with Bernardaud in crafting logo-inspired candleholders.
Other signature aspects include the brands’ well-known daily candle ritual, the introduction of a croissanterie that produces localized versions of the pastry, e.g., a New York cheesecake croissant, and a new 45-piece staff wardrobe that will debut in 2026.
“We need to stick to this identity because it is very much the core DNA of the brand,” Bailly said.
In contrast, with the Collection brands, Bailly said there is “a spirit” where each hotel is becoming a destination in itself. “It’s more flexible; you don’t have [all] those hard-brand standards. There’s no ballroom, no big meeting spaces. You have some pillars, you have some expectations to be met. Nevertheless, those places are unique. Of course, the product quality, the way we train the staff, the way we protect the Collection brand culture is going to be the same everywhere.”
The CEO is confident there’s “a huge playing field” in the Americas—North, Central and South—and would like “to really push the awareness and the growth for the Collection brands” in these regions.
The Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection, will be the brand’s first property in North America when it debuts next year.
Asked if snagging appropriate hotel portfolios could help expedite growth, Bailly’s response was positive. “I would love that, especially in the U.S. In the U.S., I would like to accelerate the growth because I believe there is huge potential for MGallery. If we start working one by one, it’s going to take ages. So, I would love to partner with a third party already having a network of five, six beautiful boutique hotels and integrate them into the portfolio, and increase immediately our footprint and the awareness of the brand in the market,” she said.
Bailly added MGallery Collection is half-franchised, half-managed, and anticipates the same model for Emblems Collection.
There’s also robust interest in developing Sofitels with residences. “It’s very strong, more than I expected,” said Bailly, who saw the trend coming mostly from the Middle East with multi-generational groups traveling together and looking first for bigger hospitality spaces and then residences, apartments with up to two, three, four, five bedrooms, as well as villas.
The Rimrock Banff will be the first Emblems Collection property in North America.
Bailly noted post-COVID, she’s observed the exponential growth of multi-generational leisure groups traveling together.
“All of a sudden it had major impact, even on our development strategy. We started being approached by owners and investors offering us branded residences, very often attached to existing hotels but even sometimes standalone branded residences,” she said, noting recently signed branded residences in Argentina, Dubai, Mexico and Vietnam.
“Branded residences are definitely booming,” she said.
What’s next
With five domestic Sofitels open—Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.—Bailly has a wish list of U.S. cities where she wants to plant brand flags, including in Miami and Boston.
“I want to have flagships everywhere, which is why the renovation of the existing network is so important because [we’re] setting the tone. People curious about the brand are going to look at what we have today, so ensuring we have beautiful flagships is our greatest credibility lever,” she said. “Once they see the new Sofitel New York I hope they will better understand the brand promise and then they will trust us more by giving us some key cities.
The CEO noted 55% of rooms revenue from its North American hotels is coming from American travelers.
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