Air Canada logos are seen on the tails of planes at the airport in Montreal, Que., Monday, June 26, 2023. The head of Air Canada is slated to come before a transport committee hearing on accessibility after incidents last year that drew scathing criticism. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – The head of Air Canada is slated to come before a House of Commons committee hearing on services for Canadians with disabilities after incidents last year that drew heavy criticism.
Legislators summoned chief executive Michael Rousseau to appear this afternoon after numerous reports of passenger mistreatment.
The stories included an incident where a man with spastic cerebral palsy was forced to drag himself off of an airplane due to a lack of help from airline staff.
Rousseau apologized in November for the airline’s shortfalls and announced he would speed up its accessibility scheme along with new measures to improve the travel experience for hundreds of thousands of passengers living with a disability.
The carrier also formed an advisory committee last week made up of customers with disabilities and laid out a program where a lanyard worn by passengers indicates to staff they may need assistance.
NDP disability inclusion critic Bonita Zarrillo says Air Canada’s corporate culture and a lack of federal enforcement are to blame for mistreatment, even after regulatory reforms over the past four years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2024.
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