Air Canada has apologized for violating Canada’s disability regulations by failing to provide adequate support to a man in a wheelchair who was forced to crawl off the plane.
The incident occurred on August 30th. Rodney Hodgins and his wife from Prince George, British Columbia (BC) headed to Las Vegas from Vancouver.
Because Hodgins is paralysed, he usually uses a power wheelchair. When exiting the plane, I always use a wheelchair with a narrow aisle. But this time, after landing in Las Vegas, he was told by a flight attendant that he would have to exit the plane on his own because she did not have a wheelchair or assistance to assist him.
Mr. Hodgins was unable to walk and had to crawl down the aisle with the help of his arms. His wife Deanna followed him and helped him get out of the plane, but he was left in pain for several days afterwards.
Deanna complained in a Canadian television interview that she had been treated “inhumanly” over the incident. An Air Canada customer centre representative later called Hodgins and offered her a $2,000 flight voucher, but Hodgins demanded a public apology.
The incident attracted national and international attention and was debated in Congress, with Air Canada issuing a public apology about two months after the incident.
His wife, Deanna, called it a “victory” for Air Canada to admit it made a mistake, and commented that she would like to keep an eye on the airline’s future changes.