This ruling by the Canadian Transportation Agency that three Canadian
airlines must adopt a one-person-one-fare policy for persons with
disabilities was passed down last week. Basically, it means the trio of
air carriers cannot charge another fare for a person with a disability
who requires an attendant for their personal safety as required by the
airlines own rules. This ruling also extends to people who need more
than one seat and are rendered disabled by their obesity. The ruling
doesn't apply to people who don't need an attendant in-flight or who
aren't disabled by their obesity or who just prefer to fly with a
companion.
Predictably, the ruling is drawing fire in some quarters. This post includes some particularly unenlightened comments.
The CTA has made a needed and sound ruling in my view.
One
of the most frustrating situations I have seen regarding people with
disabilities and commercial flights are airlines that require
attendants for people with disabilities (like here, here and here). Yes
they always claim it's for safety. But frankly, to me, it smacks of
being a strategy to just not have to deal with travelers with
disabilities. How so? By in effect charging people with disabilities
twice. Once for themselves and a second time for the required
attendant. The airline was typically the arbiter of who needs to be
accompanied, by the way. And the carer requirement has at times been
implemented in very dubious instances.
Under this ruling if the
airline wants to invoke the attendant requirement, well then they'll
have to fly the required attendant free. They who require it, shall pay
for it. Sounds fair to me.
But should airlines be forced to take the
economic hit of flying a passenger for free? I'd say yes for this rule.
Certainly through the years while most every other transportation
sector has made great strides to accommodate wheelchair users, for
example, airlines are still in the stone age. If plane travel were more
accessible, there might be even less need for people with disabilities
to travel with care-giving companions. If they insist on remaining in
the stone age, well they'll have to deal with requirements like this
one issued by the CTA.
The CTA's ruling goes a long way toward
skewering the effectiveness of requiring an attendant as a way to limit
carrying passengers with disabilities as a technique and improving
access to air travel for people with disabilities. It would be progress
if it were adopted elsewhere.
What do you think?
Photo by Richard van Binsbergen via morgueFile.com
