The fight continues for a Toronto man who was denied access to an Air Canada flight in 2016
A Torontonian vows to keep fighting after learning Air Canada plans to appeal a recent Canadian Transportation Agency ruling.
Tim Rose is an accessibility consultant, which makes travel a priority for his profession. In 2016, he was looking to book a flight to Cleveland, Ohio, to give a presentation on disability awareness and big business.
Instead, he says he was told his electric wheelchair was too big to fit in the hold of the Air Canada plane.
“Their exact words were, ‘It’s like oversized luggage.’ If it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit,” he told PKBNEWS’ Shallima Maharaj.
“Equating my independence to oversized baggage was one of the most hurtful things I heard. »
Rose went public with her situation and eventually took her case to the Canadian Transportation Agency. On August 11, after a bitter battle, the agency sided with Rose.
In its judgment, it issued a set of corrective measures and ordered Air Canada to implement them no later than December 20, 2023.
Among them, if the airline receives at least 21 days’ notice that a person’s wheelchair will not fit in the cargo door of the a*signed aircraft, it is up to the airline to find a way to transport this pa*senger with his wheelchair.
However, a month after the ruling was handed down, Rose said he learned that Air Canada had filed a motion for leave to appeal.
“Very few airlines have recognized the business opportunity that exists in effectively serving the disabled market,” Rose said. “And I really wish our national airline was part of it, but it clearly isn’t.”
An email response from Air Canada late Monday afternoon reads in part: “As this matter is currently before the courts, that is where our comments will be shared. »
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