The nightmare of disabled passengers on board planes
For safety reasons, current federal regulations require passengers in wheelchairs to sit in airplane seats, and most mobility devices must be stowed in the cargo hold with travelers’ baggage.
James Glasbergen of Kitchener knows this procedure, but dreads it every time he flies.
And when he boarded an Air Transat flight from Toronto to London on June 30 to see the Rolling Stones in concert, his concerns proved justified: airline staff dropped in the aisle while being transferred to his seat. There followed a struggle of more than three minutes to raise and install the 90 kg man in his seat.
There wasn’t enough room to fit me in the seat and they let me down
recalls Mr. Glasbergen, a 46-year-old former travel agent who was paralyzed following a car accident in 1992.
” All of a sudden, my body hit the ground with a loud thud. »
After two failed attempts, a flight attendant and another passenger intervened and the group managed to seat him.
It goes beyond frustration and shock. I’m mad
continues James Glasbergen, who adds that it was not the first time that he found himself on the ground.
There is absolutely no dignity for people with disabilities who need assistance.
It calls on airlines and regulators to find a way to allow wheelchair users to remain seated in their personal mobility devices when traveling, such as on buses and trains.
If We Can Fly a Helicopter to Mars, We Can Make Wheelchair Travel Safe
he suggests.
Transfer problems, damaged wheelchairs
Air Transat has apologized and claims to have contacted its passenger to discuss how to improve future travel experiences, the carrier said in an email sent to CBC
.Ground transfer services are managed by a third party. We are actively investigating this incident to prevent it from happening again.
writes spokesperson Marie-Christine Pouliot.
Melissa Graham, a Toronto resident with limited mobility, says sitting in an airplane seat is a challenge for her body.
She also claims that her wheelchair suffered two breakages while traveling between Toronto and Winnipeg with WestJet over the Canada Day weekend.
Ms. Graham noticed upon her arrival in Winnipeg that one of the mudguards on her electric wheelchair had broken, while the backrest she leans on for support and balance was damaged during the return flight.
WestJet confirms that Ms. Graham has a claim for damages under investigation and that her service provider will contact her to resolve it.
It’s incredibly frustrating. It makes air travel very stressful
testifies Melissa Graham.
I’ve flown six times since last December, and haven’t had a single flight where I felt completely comfortable.
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), the federal air travel regulator, says it has received 247 complaints related to aerial wheelchair accessibility over the past five years. Eighteen concerned damage to wheelchairs, while 214 concerned assistance to people with reduced mobility.
But this data only includes complaints to the regulator and not those that passengers made directly to an airline.
Regulations also require airlines to ensure that properly trained personnel perform wheelchair transfers and reimburse passengers for the cost of repairing or replacing mobility devices damaged during transport.
Although Canada-specific data is not available, the largest airlines in the United States lost or damaged at least 15,425 wheelchairs between the end of 2018 and June 2021, it said last year. The Washington Postciting data from the US Department of Transportation.
According to’OTCFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States; standards that Canada follows.
no aircraft design or mobility aid device that would allow people to remain in their wheelchairs has been fully tested and certified to meet the aviation safety standards of theIf wheelchairs and a wheelchair restraint system for use in the cabin were to receive certification, we would consider whether a regulatory change is appropriate
declares theOTC in a press release.
Progress in the United States
A boost could soon come from south of the border.
Last week, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department would work in the months and years to come
on a rule that would allow passengers to remain in their wheelchairs during their flight.
Last September, a committee of experts convened by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the United States has concluded a preliminary study of systems that use straps similar to a seat belt or other mechanism to secure a wheelchair to the floor of an aircraft.
The study shows that most airliners in service have a main gate wide enough for most personal wheelchairs, and that the interior of the most common models, the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, would only require modifications minor
to create an area where a wheelchair could be secured.
The committee did not identify any issues
says the study, which would call into question the technical feasibility of an in-cabin wheelchair securing system
.
L’OTC
says to be aware of the study and to monitor the matter, but adds that further research is needed.