Saskatoon StarPhoenix Staff
Motorized wheelchair users in Saskatoon are wondering why they must wait until the middle of next year to fly WestJet again.
Last week, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) demanded the airline remove its 300-pound weight limit for wheelchairs by June 30, 2027, citing an “undue barrier” for some travellers.
Desirée Parisien, an advocate for people living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) who also uses a wheelchair for mobility, is disappointed in both the CTA and WestJet.
“I am 100 per cent grateful that the ‘undue barrier’ excuse was recognized as discrimination and will be lifted,” she said, “but why keep the restrictions until 2027?
This is unacceptable and discriminatory. I don’t understand the logic. My life doesn’t go on hold until 2027 and neither do the lives of other Canadians who live with disabilities.”
Parisien said she was shocked by the “180-degree change” in policy when she tried to book a flight to an SMA conference in the U.S. last summer, and was not convinced by the explanation that the “small” planes that fly out of Saskatoon could no longer accommodate the heavier wheelchairs.
“They said I would have to drive to Edmonton, which is about a five-hour drive, to board a larger plane, which could take my chair. It’s not true because I’ve flown many times on the smaller aircraft. It was a cop out,” Parisien said, noting that she ended up missing the conference because the logistics were too great.
WestJet has cited flight safety as the reason for restricting the transport of heavier mobility aids last year.
According to Parisien, motorized wheelchairs weigh 350 to 450 pounds, which means WestJet can only take manual chairs on its “small planes.”
Pressure to reverse the policy initially came from Steven Fletcher, a former federal minister of state for transport, who complained to the CTA after he had been prevented from boarding a WestJet flight on account of his wheelchair.
For Parisien, WestJet was once her airline of choice.
“Before they changed their policy, I always found WestJet to be very accommodating with any sort of medical equipment. WestJet was known as a caring company,” she said.
Her disappointment was compounded during a recent car trip to Cranbrook to visit her ill mother-in-law, calling the journey “excruciating.” She would normally fly.
While Parisien is convinced that WestJet will reverse its policy eventually, she is not confident anything will change after 2027.
“It will be the same planes as before,” she said, “and they will just say that people with wheelchairs can board now.”
Asked if she will continue to fly with WestJet once the weight limit is dropped, Parisien replied, “We’ll see.”
When asked for comment on the CTA’s decision, WestJet told the StarPhoenix that the matter “currently remains before the Canadian Transportation Agency. WestJet respects that regulatory process and at this time, has nothing further to add.”
