Air Canada has unveiled a new mobility aid travel policy designed to make travel simpler, more consistent and less stressful for customers who travel with mobility aids, including customers participating in adapted sports.
The new policy gives customers requiring the use of mobility aids, or travelling with adaptive sports equipment greater flexibility in bringing the items they need when they fly with Air Canada.
It reflects the airline’s ongoing work to identify, remove and prevent barriers for customers with disabilities, and to provide a more dignified and predictable travel experience at every stage of the journey.
Kerianne Wilson, Director, Customer Accessibility at Air Canada, explained that: “Travelling with a mobility aid can involve significant planning, and we recognize the uncertainty customers may feel when they are separated from equipment that is essential to their independence.”
Wilson continued: “This new policy is about giving customers more consistent choices, clearer expectations and greater confidence when they travel with us. It also reflects our commitment to listening to people with lived experience and continuing to improve accessibility across the travel journey.”
Highlights of the new policy include:
- Customers can now travel complimentary with up to three mobility aids.
- Eligible items can include any combination of personal mobility aids, adaptive sports equipment, or personal or patient lift, or similar transfer devices.
- The policy supports both adaptive athletes and recreational travellers with disabilities, helping remove barriers to participation in sport and leisure travel.
- If a mobility aid is too large to travel on the same aircraft as the customer, Air Canada Cargo will complimentarily transport it within Canada.
- The enhanced policy reflects Air Canada’s ongoing commitment to improving accessibility and creating an inclusive travel experience for customers with disabilities.
The policy supports customers with varied travel needs, including those travelling for business, leisure, medical reasons or adapted sport. It is intended to reduce uncertainty across different parts of the travel journey by providing a more consistent approach to how mobility aids are accommodated, handled and supported.
Meghan Hines, chair of Air Canada’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, said that: “Having this policy clearly defined means people with disabilities can travel, without having to explain or justify our needs. As both a traveller with a disability and a Para athlete, it is meaningful to see Air Canada recognize that the equipment we travel with, whether it supports daily life, care needs or participation in sport, are extensions of our bodies, not an extra piece of luggage.”
Hines added: “This policy recognizes that accessibility needs do not look the same for everyone and that people with disabilities should be able to travel with the equipment they need without added uncertainty or having to advocate for an exception.”
And Rachael Pinnock, Chief Commercial and Impact Officer, Canadian Paralympic Committee, pointed out that: “Air Canada continues to take meaningful steps to make travel more accessible, and this new policy will make a significant difference in making travel easier and more affordable for athletes at all levels of sport, from recreation to high-performance.”
Said Pinnock: “This is a testament to Air Canada’s commitment to listening and learning from the experiences and perspectives of the Para sport community, and it is incredibly exciting to see those insights reflected in practical changes that will improve access to sport and travel. We are grateful for Air Canada’s ongoing partnership and their commitment to advancing accessibility.”
