How was this guy successful at suing Air Canada?

January 31, 2009

So he's deaf and blind, so they wouldn't let him fly without an attendant. He successfully sues the company for $10,000 for discrimination.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hTb2mmY-8eNMeZjyv8GiwVpIbUSQ

What the heck??? How are the flight attendants supposed to communicate to him? How would he know if the captain came on the PA and said brace for impact? How would he know how to get out of the plane in an emergency? What would he do if there was an unscheduled diversion to another airport?

I don't get it! There's countless variables that he would need special attention for! Travelling by plane is NOT like travelling by bus. Not allowing him to fly unaccompanied is safety related, for himself and for the company. Anything related to safety shouldn't be scrutinized!

Doesn't the FAA have a requirement that all passengers be informed of certain events? Without an attendant or someone trained to communicate to the deaf and blind then there's no way for the crew to inform this man. How can the company remain lawful if they have no way to communicate information to him?
Small correction: an airline operating in Canada would follow the Canadian Air Regulations (CARs) issued by Transport Canada, not the FAA. Similar rules still apply though.

The decision by the Human Rights Tribunal really doesn't address the safety issue, but the basic human right.

Whether or not he can fly unaccompanied was never settled. What was decided is that Air Canada needed to assess his disability to make the decision – which it did not. They essentially assumed all disabled persons should be treated the same, not as individuals.

Posted by roy | Filed Under FAA Flight Training 

Comments

2 Responses to “How was this guy successful at suing Air Canada?”

  1. oobubbles21 on January 31st, 2009 2:59 pm

    Remimds me of a wheelchair bound man in the states who makes his living by suing restaurants who don't have wheelchair accessible facilities….
    References :

  2. Tdot on January 31st, 2009 3:38 pm

    The decision by the Human Rights Tribunal really doesn't address the safety issue, but the basic human right.

    Whether or not he can fly unaccompanied was never settled. What was decided is that Air Canada needed to assess his disability to make the decision – which it did not. They essentially assumed all disabled persons should be treated the same, not as individuals.
    References :

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