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This article from CBC is about providing accommodation for wheelchair-bound passengers on Air Canada flights.
I fully expect Air Canada will appeal the decision to a higher court, but until that happens, and then into the future if this ruling stands, it indicates truly major change is coming to an airline near you..
From CBC
Maayan Ziv, founder of Access Now, said planes are one of the only forms of transit where wheelchair users can't stay in their chairs. (CBC)
"We can get on boats, on taxis, we can get on the subways and on buses and stay in our mobility devices. It is only when we travel by air that we are forced to be separated by them," said Ziv.
A year ago, she found herself stranded in the Tel Aviv airport because her wheelchair was broken beyond repair during an Air Canada flight.
At the time, Air Canada told CBC Toronto it did not meet its "normal service levels" while flying Ziv and said the company arranged for a specialized wheelchair service to fix the damage.
For wheelchair user and avid traveller Victoria Lacey, the ruling could have a big impact. She says her family has gone as far as switching vacation destinations to find a plane that can accommodate her chair.
Like Ziv, she hopes airlines will make it possible for people to board flights in their chairs.
"Having to stay outside of my wheelchair for the duration of a flight is very stressful on me. It's very painful for me," said Lacey, whose chair is custom made to support her body and breathing. "I do it because I love travel and I want to see the world."
Prototypes in the works
There is hope on the horizon, Lacey and Ziv say.
In June, Delta Airlines debuted a prototype seat that would allow passengers to stay in their wheelchairs for an entire flight. The prototype was developed with Air4All, a British accessible air travel company, and demonstrated at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Germany.
The seat, which the airline says is the first of its kind, is a standard airline seat that can essentially be stowed so someone can sit there in their wheelchair, complete with an adjustable headrest, tray table and cocktail table.
Ziv says flying in a wheelchair will happen — it's just a matter of time and effort.
"It comes down to cost. It comes down to political will," she said. "And it comes down to recognizing that people with disabilities today are not treated fairly when it comes to air travel."
I fully expect Air Canada will appeal the decision to a higher court, but until that happens, and then into the future if this ruling stands, it indicates truly major change is coming to an airline near you..
From CBC
Maayan Ziv, founder of Access Now, said planes are one of the only forms of transit where wheelchair users can't stay in their chairs. (CBC)
"We can get on boats, on taxis, we can get on the subways and on buses and stay in our mobility devices. It is only when we travel by air that we are forced to be separated by them," said Ziv.
A year ago, she found herself stranded in the Tel Aviv airport because her wheelchair was broken beyond repair during an Air Canada flight.
At the time, Air Canada told CBC Toronto it did not meet its "normal service levels" while flying Ziv and said the company arranged for a specialized wheelchair service to fix the damage.
For wheelchair user and avid traveller Victoria Lacey, the ruling could have a big impact. She says her family has gone as far as switching vacation destinations to find a plane that can accommodate her chair.
Like Ziv, she hopes airlines will make it possible for people to board flights in their chairs.
"Having to stay outside of my wheelchair for the duration of a flight is very stressful on me. It's very painful for me," said Lacey, whose chair is custom made to support her body and breathing. "I do it because I love travel and I want to see the world."
Prototypes in the works
There is hope on the horizon, Lacey and Ziv say.
In June, Delta Airlines debuted a prototype seat that would allow passengers to stay in their wheelchairs for an entire flight. The prototype was developed with Air4All, a British accessible air travel company, and demonstrated at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Germany.
The seat, which the airline says is the first of its kind, is a standard airline seat that can essentially be stowed so someone can sit there in their wheelchair, complete with an adjustable headrest, tray table and cocktail table.
Ziv says flying in a wheelchair will happen — it's just a matter of time and effort.
"It comes down to cost. It comes down to political will," she said. "And it comes down to recognizing that people with disabilities today are not treated fairly when it comes to air travel."
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