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Air Canada vows big improvements in service for travelers with disabilities
Flag carrier Air Canada has outlined a series of measures to improve service for travelers with disabilities.
The actions being taken will accelerate Air Canada’s Accessibility Plan 2023-26 the airline says.
“Air Canada recognizes the challenges disabled travelers encounter when they fly and accepts responsibility to provide convenient and consistent service,” said Michael Rousseau, Air Canada CEO.
It follows some high profile incidents of disabled travelers receiving what they deemed to be substandard service.
Immediate measures it is taking include:
Boarding: Customers at the gate who request lift assistance will be consistently boarded first before all other customers and proactively seated at the front of the cabin they booked.
Storage of mobility aids: Mobility aids will be stored in the aircraft cabin when possible. When mobility aids are stored in the cargo hold, new systems are being put in place to track them in transit. Customers travelling within Canada will be able to track the journey of their mobility aid using the Air Canada app.
Training: Enhanced training will be conducted to improve all aspects of employee interactions with disabled travelers, including understanding customer experiences in air travel. Air Canada’s approximately 10,000 airport employees will receive this training as part of a new annual, recurrent training program.
Responsibility: Air Canada has created the new senior position of Director, Customer Accessibility. She will lead a team to manage implementation of the company’s accessibility plan.
The airline fully supports the Government of Canada’s Accessible Canada Act and its aim to realize a barrier-free Canada by 2040.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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