Over the past year, several Canadians with disabilities have claimed being mistreated by Air Canada employees.
On Monday, lawmakers chastised Air Canada’s CEO for “shocking” and “scandalous” missteps in providing accommodations for passengers with impairments.
Over the course of a House of Commons committee hearing on services for Canadians with disabilities, CEO Michael Rousseau was grilled about allegations of maltreatment of passengers in the previous year.
Vice-chair Tracy Gray highlighted a number of “shocking” events that occurred in 2023: “An Air Canada passenger had a lift fall on her head and her ventilator was disconnected; Air Canada leaving Canada’s own chief accessibility officer’s wheelchair behind on a cross-Canada flight … and a man was dropped and injured when Air Canada staff didn’t use a lift as requested.”
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Bloc Quebecois MP Louise Chabot described the circumstances surrounding the August forceful pull of a man with spastic cerebral palsy off an airplane as “scandalous.”
In response to a question about how Air Canada will enhance its offerings, Rousseau said, “We do make mistakes.” However, he cited new initiatives released in November to enhance the travel experience for hundreds of thousands of customers with disabilities, as well as an expedited accessibility program.
The airline last week established an advisory committee comprised of disabled customers and unveiled a program wherein passengers wear lanyards to alert staff members in case they want assistance.
