Published • loading... • Updated
WestJet ordered to scrap weight cap on power wheelchairs
The regulator said the limit creates an undue barrier and ordered WestJet to use spreader plates or offer alternative travel until then.
- On Thursday, the Canadian Transportation Agency ordered WestJet to scrap its 300-pound weight cap on power wheelchairs, deeming the restriction an "undue barrier" to travel for disabled Canadians with compliance required by July 2027.
- Winnipeg resident Steven Fletcher, a former federal minister of state for transport, initiated the challenge after being denied travel with his custom power wheelchair early last year, opposing WestJet's 2024 implementation based on cargo-hold weight limits.
- No other major North American airline maintains such a low cap for Boeing 737 jets, according to John Morris, founder of WheelchairTravel, and the regulator recommended WestJet use spreader plates to distribute weight until full compliance.
- Fletcher said the rule has "marginalized some disabled Canadians" through an "arbitrary number which doesn't hold up," while advocates noted the cap curtailed air travel across the country and discriminated against those using heavier mobility devices.
- While WestJet must comply by July 2027, the airline has declined detailed comment as parts of the matter remain before the regulator, which is expected to issue a final decision on advance notice requirements for mobility aid users.
Insights by Ground AI
20 Articles
20 Articles
WestJet imposes an "unwarranted obstacle" by prohibiting access to its aircraft to certain wheelchairs, the Canadian Transportation Agency believes.
·Montreal, Canada
Read Full Article
The matter was brought before the Canadian Transportation Agency by Steven Fletcher.
·Montreal, Canada
Read Full Article
"The First of The Economist" concentrates the most relevant notes on the cover of the newspaper, with the context and analysis that mark the economic agenda of the day.
·Mexico City, Mexico
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources20
Leaning Left10Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Left
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources lean Left
59% Left
L 59%
C 41%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
