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Air Canada is implementing new measures to improve accessibility after a CBC documentary criticized its treatment of passengers with disabilities. CEO Michael Rousseau said the airline will improve its boarding procedures, ensure mobility aids are properly stored and step up staff training. The revelations follow several serious flaws in safety and support measures for travelers with disabilities, which Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez described as “appalling.”
Air Canada will be overhauling its current accessibility measures to support passengers with disabilities following the release of a scathing CBC documentary. Canada’s national airline has come under fire after CBC’s Marketplace reported serious safety flaws in the airline’s boarding process for passengers with disabilities earlier this week.
“I didn’t feel safe.”
Toronto resident Alessia Di Virgilio was accompanied by Marketplace on an Air Canada flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Charlottetown Airport (YYG), where Marketplace investigators captured shocking footage of airline staff accidentally removing her ventilator as they struggled to get Virgilio on board. In another incident during the trip, a lift fell on the head of a power wheelchair user.
In an interview with CBC, Virgilio emphasized that the mistreatment left her feeling anxious, overwhelmed and scared, especially when she revealed that Air Canada employees had provided her with insufficient training on equipment she claims she hadn’t used in seven years.
Air Canada did not directly address Virgilio’s case in a statement on Thursday but said the airline was implementing a series of new measures, including improving its boarding process, ensuring accessibility for mobility aids while traveling and increasing staff training with a focus on customers with disabilities. A new position of director of customer accessibility has been added to the airline’s senior team to oversee the implementation of the airline’s three-year accessibility strategy. CEO Michael Rossouw added:
“Air Canada recognizes the challenges customers with disabilities face when flying, and we accept our responsibility to provide a convenient and consistent service to make traveling with us easier. There will be times when we fall short of this promise, and when we do, we sincerely apologize. Our customers with disabilities tell us that the most important thing is to continue to make improvements.”
Cautious optimism for change
In addition to the new measures, the airline met with Minister of Transportation Pablo Rodriguez and Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera to discuss its current efforts on accessibility. In a statement, Minister Rodriguez said he was horrified by the sudden increase in incidents at Air Canada and called on the airline to adjust its policies.
“All Canadians must be treated with dignity and respect. That’s all there is to it. The Canadian government must come up with a plan to address this issue. Canadians expect Air Canada to do better.”
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying
Passenger Rodney Hodgins was traveling with his wife when he was left behind by the airline at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas in August. According to the Daily Mail, Hodgins, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, had to lift himself up and crawl down the aisle of the plane after flight attendants were unable to provide him with a wheelchair.
Air Canada said it uses a third party for accessibility work in Las Vegas, but the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA) has launched an investigation. In another incident in May 2023, British Columbia-based comedian Ryan LaChance was left bedridden for several days after an untrained staff member dropped him while trying to lift him from his seat into a wheelchair.
AccessNow CEO Mayan Ziv’s wheelchair broke after an 11-hour journey between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) and Toronto in 2022. In a post on social media site X (formerly Twitter), the disability advocate accused the airline of taking away her independence. In an interview with CBC after the Marketplace exposé, Ziv said he was cautiously optimistic that the airline had admitted to failure.
“Today was the first time we’ve heard any sort of acknowledgement, explanation or apology. Although vague, this will be the start of much more.”
What do you think about the CBC findings? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: CBC (1) (2), Daily Mail, National Post