SuperMishe
Single. Wanna mingle?
This was posted in a Yahoo group I belong to. Does Air Canada fly from Boston to Vegas? LOL.
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Regulator orders airlines to drop extra charges for disabled passengers *
By Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - Canada's major air carriers have been found to be
discriminating against disabled persons and ordered to provide the same
fares to all passengers, including those who require two seats.
The ruling released Thursday by the Canadian Transportation Agency gives
Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet one year to bring in a
"one-person, one-fare" policy.
"Canadians with disabilities are celebrating today," said Pat Danforth
of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, which helped launch the
complaint in 2002 along with two individuals.
The decision applies to disabled people, including the severely obese,
who require extra space on aircraft to accommodate them. It also applies
to disabled persons who need an attendant seated with them on flights.
Current airline pricing practices, said the report, "represent an
economic disadvantage which effectively limits travel opportunities in
respect of employment, education, leisure, medical care and emergencies
available to these persons."
The agency estimates the new policy will cost Air Canada about $7
million a year, and WestJet about $1.5 million a year. That amounts to
about 77 cents a ticket for Air Canada and 44 cents for WestJet.
That's a fraction of the cost estimated by the airlines in their
submissions to the agency.
WestJet was to respond to the ruling late Thursday on its website and
Air Canada said in a release it was examining the decision before giving
a detailed response.
"It is the policy of Air Canada to conduct its business at all times in
full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, " said the
airline.
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities argued the extra charges are
discriminatory, citing numerous court decisions to back their case.
In an exhaustive 179-page report, a two-member agency panel concurred.
The panel said the extra cost and operational constraints to the
airlines would not constitute undue hardship. It said the current
practice effectively limits travel opportunities for the disabled.
"We hope this decision sends a strong message to all transportation
carriers," said Joanne Neubauer, the Victoria woman who helped launch
the complaint. "Access is the rule."
Neubauer, 56, has severe rheumatoid arthritis and requires a wheelchair
and crutches for mobility.
The ruling's 12-month grace period will give air carriers a chance to
augment and fine-tune their current mechanisms for determining which
passengers are disabled and require assistance.
"It's not a personal preference (of the traveller)," said Jadrino Huot,
a spokesman for the agency.
"It's not a matter of discomfort. It's a matter of need."
The ruling applies only to the named air carriers, but the transport
agency said it sets a precedent if complaints from travellers are lodged
against other carriers such as charter airlines.
Many other transportation carriers, including buses, trains and ferries,
have had one-person, one-fare policies for some time.
*************************************
Regulator orders airlines to drop extra charges for disabled passengers *
By Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - Canada's major air carriers have been found to be
discriminating against disabled persons and ordered to provide the same
fares to all passengers, including those who require two seats.
The ruling released Thursday by the Canadian Transportation Agency gives
Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet one year to bring in a
"one-person, one-fare" policy.
"Canadians with disabilities are celebrating today," said Pat Danforth
of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, which helped launch the
complaint in 2002 along with two individuals.
The decision applies to disabled people, including the severely obese,
who require extra space on aircraft to accommodate them. It also applies
to disabled persons who need an attendant seated with them on flights.
Current airline pricing practices, said the report, "represent an
economic disadvantage which effectively limits travel opportunities in
respect of employment, education, leisure, medical care and emergencies
available to these persons."
The agency estimates the new policy will cost Air Canada about $7
million a year, and WestJet about $1.5 million a year. That amounts to
about 77 cents a ticket for Air Canada and 44 cents for WestJet.
That's a fraction of the cost estimated by the airlines in their
submissions to the agency.
WestJet was to respond to the ruling late Thursday on its website and
Air Canada said in a release it was examining the decision before giving
a detailed response.
"It is the policy of Air Canada to conduct its business at all times in
full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, " said the
airline.
The Council of Canadians with Disabilities argued the extra charges are
discriminatory, citing numerous court decisions to back their case.
In an exhaustive 179-page report, a two-member agency panel concurred.
The panel said the extra cost and operational constraints to the
airlines would not constitute undue hardship. It said the current
practice effectively limits travel opportunities for the disabled.
"We hope this decision sends a strong message to all transportation
carriers," said Joanne Neubauer, the Victoria woman who helped launch
the complaint. "Access is the rule."
Neubauer, 56, has severe rheumatoid arthritis and requires a wheelchair
and crutches for mobility.
The ruling's 12-month grace period will give air carriers a chance to
augment and fine-tune their current mechanisms for determining which
passengers are disabled and require assistance.
"It's not a personal preference (of the traveller)," said Jadrino Huot,
a spokesman for the agency.
"It's not a matter of discomfort. It's a matter of need."
The ruling applies only to the named air carriers, but the transport
agency said it sets a precedent if complaints from travellers are lodged
against other carriers such as charter airlines.
Many other transportation carriers, including buses, trains and ferries,
have had one-person, one-fare policies for some time.
