Air Canada is appealing a decision by the country’s transportation regulator that seeks to improve accessibility for travelers living with disabilities.
The action before the Federal Court of Appeal seeks to overturn a Canadian Transportation Agency order requiring the airline to accommodate passengers whose electric wheelchairs do not fit through the cargo door of a scheduled plane.
The organization asked Air Canada to either find similar flights on a comparable route or swap planes to have one on the route that could carry the electric wheelchairs, provided the customer requested three weeks in advance.
Air Canada’s appeal of the plane replacement order continues a case that has dragged on for more than seven years after passenger Tim Rose accused the company of discrimination when it told him his electric wheelchair did not would not fit on the plane in 2016, preventing him from boarding his flight to Ohio.
Mr Rose says this latest move is “disappointing”, particularly after the carrier welcomed new measures in November to improve the travel experience for passengers living with disabilities.
Air Canada says it has agreed to most of the ruling’s orders to remove obstacles, but disputes the requirement to change planes at short notice for shorter routes.
Company in this dispatch: (TSX: AC)