this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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Disabled man drags himself off plane after Air Canada fails to offer wheelchair (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 year ago by floofloof@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca
25 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/news@lemmy.world/t/584100

Airline was forced to apologize to Rodney Hodgins who flew to Las Vegas with his wife to celebrate their anniversary in August

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[–] SamuelRJankis@lemmy.world 43 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Hodgins says he was offered a C$2,000 flight voucher by the airline, but said compensation would not β€œfix the problem” of how the airline failed its disabled passengers."

Given how much this seems to be happening I'd be for fining any airline that does this 100k. Half for the victims and half for disability advocacy groups.

[–] Stamets@startrek.website 19 points 1 year ago

Yeah. That's the line that got me too. It's just another demonstration of how this country overall fails to, even remotely, adequately take care of disabled people. I'm on the low end of that spectrum but I have to deal with hell constantly. The more difficult a position you're in the less anyone seems to care. Example? Landlords in Ontario will openly refuse to rent to you if you're on Disability. This is flagrantly illegal but there is zero oversight and backlash for doing it just like Air Canada has zero real consequences or backlash.

Disabled folks across the board are going to be treated like shit endlessly until there's both someone in a position to help who's willing to help and that the majority of people are willing to even care in the first place to help.

We're going to see another story like this from Air Canada or some other major Canadian corporation this Christmas season. I guarantee it. At least one.

[–] ttmrichter@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not 100k. The total ticket price of every person on that plane. Make it unprofitable to be inhuman bastards.

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

After operation expenses I feel like that's about $100k profit per trip

[–] ttmrichter@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's easier to just guarantee it's a loss after such a trip by taking the income they generated for that trip and removing it.

[–] shasta@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah you're right and it would avoid airlines raising rates to compensate

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I can't even remember the last time air Canada had some good press.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

They haven't earned any.

[–] xcutie@linux.community 1 points 1 year ago

I guess lately no press is good enough press for them.

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So yeah, I hope the airline gets screwed hard for this but I still can't picture this:

β€œIt took us struggling, in front of a dozen people as some looked away and others looked on with shame, to get him off that plane..."

wtf didn't anyone offer some help? Two dudes under each arm? Something? Oh nah, let's let the guy drag his ass off the plane with his old lady holding his feet, OK.

[–] cobra89@beehaw.org 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Holy shit, how is this being left up to an apology and possibly a voucher??

The US government should be suing the fuck out of Air Canada under the ADA...

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The US government should be suing the fuck out of Air Canada under the ADA

For that to happen, the US government would have to actually give a shit about disabled people..

[–] cole@lemdro.id 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't really know if this hate is warranted. The ADA is a really nice and forward looking piece of legislature. We do better for accessibility than most countries

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The existence of legislation doesn't mean it is widely enforced, nor does it reflect public nor institutional attitudes towards disabled people, which I guarantee are much worse than you're comfortable acknowledging. (ETA: also being a highly litigious society doesn't equal being a fair or inclusive society. Potentially being awarded money after the fact doesn't take away the pain, distress, and other long lasting effects of being discriminated against and excluded)

We do better for accessibility than most countries

lmfao, maybe go ask some actually disabled people (like this one, from the UK, where we have even "better" laws than yours, and yet disabled people are some of the most discriminated against in society) if they agree with you, they'll probably laugh as hard in your face as I am at my screen.

But hey, if it makes you feel warm and fuzzy and completely absolves you of taking any responsibility to actually learn about what disabled people deal with daily (never mind do better, which it's clear from your comment you could), that there are "laws" in place (just like there are against racism and sexism, and transphobia and so on, because those do just as great a job as the ADA at actually protecting anyone), who am I to bring you down with reality.. πŸ™„

Or you could check your privilege?

Lol, as if... But hey - you've made me laugh twice in 5 minutes, so at least you have that going for you...

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Hodgins says he was offered a C$2,000 flight voucher by the airline

Sorry we utterly humiliated you and ruined your anniversary trip. Here's some coupons.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 7 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Rodney Hodgins, 49, a hardware salesman from British Columbia who requires the use of a motorized wheelchair, flew to Las Vegas with his wife, Deanna, to celebrate their anniversary in August.

When the attendant said Hodgins would have to pull himself off the plane alone, the couple at first thought she was joking – but then she repeated the request.

Hodgins was forced to use his upper body strength to haul himself past 12 rows of seats, with his wife holding his legs.

In her Facebook post, Deanna Hodgins said the event left the couple devastated.

She said the couple had planned the trip for eight months and made sure they took care of all requirements on their end.

β€œWe use the services of a third party wheelchair assistance specialist in Las Vegas to provide safe transport on and off aircraft,” the statement read.

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