by Candy Harrington, editor of Emerging Horizons
Free Air Travel in Canada?
I’ve heard that there is a new air travel law in Canada that allows disabled passengers to bring along a companion for free. Can you give me the details and tell me how I can advantage of this deal?
The new law you are speaking about is the “One Person, One Fare” decision that applies to all Air Canada, Canada Jazz and WestJet flights that operate domestic routes in Canada. Although this landmark decision allows “people with severe disabilities” to travel with an attendant for no extra charge, it won’t take effect until January 2009. Furthermore, there are some restrictions and it doesn’t apply to everyone who has a disability.
This ruling applies only to disabled passengers who must be “accompanied by an attendant for their personal care or safety in flight, as required by the carriers' domestic tariffs."
Additionally it does not apply to disabled passengers who "prefer" to travel with a companion or those who only need attendant assistance at their destination.
This decision was upheld on appeal in May 2008.
The three airlines in question are expected to have policies in place by Jan 2009 to deal with this new requirement; so your best bet is to contact them directly after that time for specific booking procedures.