Just the day before this announcement, a petition was launched on website change.org by Laura Moore, carer to her disabled daughter, stating: "Hoists are essential for all severely disabled wheelchair users. Imagine a world where you are stuck in a chair and cannot move without the assistance of a hoist. At present airports provide staff to help lift the passenger. Would you really want airport staff, strangers you have never met to man handle you and carry you to your seat? How undignified is that? You would be embarrassed, humiliated, uncomfortable and at risk of injury. It would set the tone for the rest of your flight as being an awkward and non-enjoyable experience."
Surprisingly, despite being one of the UK's busiest airports, Gatwick did not yet provide a hoisting solution to allow disabled passengers to be lifted from their wheelchair at the aircraft door and helped to their seat. Within 24 hours over 600 people had signed Laura's petition.
The very next day Gatwick airport informed the petitioner that they had placed an order for the Eagle passenger hoist, the best known medical grade hoist in the airline industry, used at a growing number of airports worldwide. Heathrow airport has four Eagle 1 hoists in stock, yet they are rarely, if ever, seen in use.
