WestJet ordered to scrap wheelchair weight cap
The Canadian Transportation Agency has ordered WestJet to remove its 300-pound weight limit on mobility aids by July 2027. The ruling follows a complaint from a former federal minister who argued the policy discriminates against passengers with disabilities.
Why it matters
This decision sets a significant precedent for airline accessibility standards and the rights of passengers using power wheelchairs.
WestJet is imposing an “undue barrier” on travellers living with a disability by effectively barring some power wheelchairs from its planes, says Canada’s transport regulator.
In a recent decision, the Canadian Transportation Agency said the country’s second-largest carrier must scrap its 300-pound weight cap on mobility aids before July 2027.
WestJet should use “spreader plates” to better distribute the wheelchair’s weight in the cargo hold and arrange alternative travel with other airlines until then, the regulator said.
The case was brought before the transportation agency by Winnipeg resident Steven Fletcher, a former federal minister of state for transport, after he was stopped from flying with his custom wheelchair on a flight between Winnipeg and Toronto early last year.
He and other advocates say the weight cap has curtailed air travel in parts of the country and discriminated against people living with a disability.
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