A Toronto Blue Jays fan from Regina claims he recently had a weekend trip to go see his favourite baseball team cancelled after WestJet requested he obtain doctor’s approval to fly.
Jamie McKenzie has been a fan of the team his whole life. He’s watched them play before, but wanted to see them take on the Detroit Tigers in Toronto over the Victoria Day long weekend.
“I was going to get into Toronto [Friday] afternoon and take in the night game,” he told CTV News. “And then take in another game [on Saturday].”
McKenzie said he booked the trip three weeks in advance of the weekend series, including flights, hotels, game tickets and pre-planning transportation to and from Rogers Centre.
He lives with cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair to be mobile. Due to his disability, McKenzie also requires special accommodations to travel – which he said he set up with WestJet weeks in advance of his trip.
“Not even 40 hours before my flight [was to] take off, they sent me a letter saying I needed medical clearance,” McKenzie said. “I needed to get a doctor’s order before I could fly.”
Emails between McKenzie and the airline show WestJet had concerns for the well-being of both McKenzie and other passengers onboard.
“Our WestJet staff encountered a situation that required support beyond their scope of training raising health and safety concerns for your, our airport staff and members of the public,” the airline told him. “Your health and safety and the safety of our staff, guests and public are our top priority.”
McKenzie was able to get the required doctor’s note, but not before the deadline imposed by WestJet and was issued a refund for his flight to Toronto.
He added he has flown with the airline in the past – and also by himself – but never needed a doctor’s note to fly.
“You do everything right,” he said. “You plan everything you want to. You plan your hotel, you buy the ticket, you buy them, you get the hotel all booked – and they tell me I can’t go.”
“They threw me a curveball,” McKenzie added.
According to Transport Canada’s website, passengers are expected to make requests for services at least 48 hours ahead of their flight.
“If less notice is given, air carriers are still required to make a reasonable effort to provide the services requested,” the federal agency added.
WestJet declined an interview request from CTV News regarding McKenzie’s case but instead provided a written statement.
“WestJet strives to ensure that all guests who need extra assistance due to a disability are provided the services and support they need,” the statement read.
“WestJet has placed significant focus on improvements for guests who face mobility challenges, including those who use wheelchairs, as requests for mobility support are the most frequent of all accessibility services.”
Traveller advocate group Air Passenger Rights says WestJet’s imposed deadline was unreasonable for McKenzie to fulfill.
“I’m baffled,” President and Founder Gabor Lukacs said. “If there is a history of communication about the passenger’s disability, the airline cannot claim in good faith that they did not know about [it].”
“The passenger does have some obligation to notify the airline in advance they need assistance, but that doesn’t mean that the airline can at the last minute tell the passenger, ‘We will not transport you unless you fill out additional forms,” he added.
Lukacs added accessibility and accommodations in air travel are often misunderstood.
“Accommodation is not about giving preferential treatment to anybody,” he said. “It is just ensuring a person with disability has the same ultimate access to air travel as you and me would have.”
“What troubles me is this passenger did face a barrier due to their mobility. They were not able to travel. They were not able to take a trip for which they paid good money,” Lukacs added.
Accessibility advocates feel there is not sufficient training in the industry to meet the needs of those who require additional assistance.
“[There] is the advertisement that there is accessibility,” Inclusion Saskatchewan board president Bluesette Campbell said. “But there is lack of knowledge or care and attention to what that actually means.”
Campbell believes a shift in mindset and improved training may make air travel more inclusive.
“Things are being built without accessibility in mind, and therefore they become inaccessible,” she said. “A universal design approach where everybody benefits. And not just somebody in a wheelchair, but a mother with a stroller, an elder using a cane or a scooter is also benefiting from that.”
WestJet added that it will be publishing a progress report on their accessibility plan on June 1, which will share details of investments the airline is making to make travel more accessible for those with disabilities.
McKenzie hopes to catch another Jays game soon, but wants to ensure others with disabilities have the freedom to travel as they please.
“No one should have to put their own hard work into trying to plan a trip, and then told at the last minute, ‘You can’t go,” he said.
