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May 20, 2004

Airline pays compensation to deaf group

From: Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA - May 20, 2004

LIVERPOOL, , May. 20 (UPI) -- A British airline has agreed to pay compensation to 11 friends from a deaf center in Liverpool who were kicked off a flight minutes before takeoff.

EasyJet has paid 500 pounds or almost $900 to each member of the group. The airline also promises to provide training for its staff on dealing with disabled passengers.

The group has planned to spend a weekend in Amsterday, but the pilot decided that the group was too large for the crew to handle.

"The pilot thought that because we were deaf we would not be able to follow emergency instructions," one passenger told the Daily Mirror. "He made us feel like young children."

Copyright 2004 United Press International