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A Saskatoon woman with spinal muscular atrophy says she had to do an “excruciating” drive to British Columbia to see her ailing mother-in-law after not being allowed to fly with her motorized wheelchair.
“It’s almost unfathomable how long and how painful the trip is,” Desirée Parisien said.
Parisien’s chair weighs around 500 pounds. WestJet does not allow accessibility devices above 300 pounds on some of its flights.
“It’s unacceptable. It almost doesn’t seem real that there would be that discrimination for something that someone requires, a piece of equipment that someone has to have.”
In a recent decision, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) said the airline needed to remove this weight requirement by June 30, 2027, citing an “undue barrier” for some travellers with disabilities.
Steven Fletcher, a former federal minister of state for transport, originally brought the case to the transport agency after he said he was stopped from flying between Winnipeg and Toronto with his wheelchair in February last year.
Though some advocates have rejoiced at the decision, for Parisien, next summer is too long to wait.
“That’s great that they made that ruling, but July? What’s gonna change from now to July when I’ve always travelled on an airplane with the way that the planes are currently, with the current power chair that I have,” she said.
Parisien said she has flown with WestJet about 10 times with no issues. She said this ruling makes it very difficult for her to leave the province.
“Flying and going somewhere is difficult enough as is having a disability, never mind the fact of adding the entire components of not being able to fly out of your own province or city because you require the use of a power chair.”
WATCH | WestJet weight cap on power wheelchairs draws backlash :
WestJet weight cap on power wheelchairs draws backlash
Travellers and advocates say a rule at WestJet Airlines, barring some power wheelchairs from most of its planes, discriminates against people living with a disability.
Parisien chose not to go to a conference for her condition in Florida, as she would have to drive there, or get to another Canadian city to catch a flight.
“Why should we have to drive when there’s an airport and airplane right here. There’s a lot of instances where I can’t go anywhere.”
Family says restriction was shocking
One Saskatoon dad was happy to hear about the ruling.
“I’m feeling really optimistic. The last thing we wanted was for our daughter to be limited to travel within her own country,” Richard Nataraj said.
His 14-year-old daughter, Georgia, uses a wheelchair that’s over 400 pounds, also for spinal muscular atrophy.
Georgia Nataraj on a previous WestJet flight. (Submitted by Richard Nataraj)
Nataraj said WestJet’s policy blocked Georgia from going on a flight to Mexico in February, even though they used the same wheelchair on the WestJet flight for a previous trip to France.
They were told they could cancel the flight or drive to another city like Calgary, which wasn’t feasible for them in the winter.
“It shocked us on many levels,” he said. “We were surprised at the discriminatory nature of such an action from a company within Canada.”
Now Nataraj is happy that WestJet will have to accommodate wheelchairs again, but said it shouldn’t have taken a federal ruling for it to happen.
“We’re really reassured of the news and hopeful it means she can fly with WestJet in the future.”
The Nataraj family during their trip to Paris a few years ago. (Submitted by Richard Nataraj)