The Canadian Transportation Agency has issued a $97,500 penalty to Air Canada after a B.C. man was forced to drag himself off a flight – and the airline could be facing a lawsuit next.
Prince George resident Rodney Hodgins, who has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility, was put in the uncomfortable position last August after Air Canada’s third-party ground assistance personnel were unavailable to help him off his flight in Las Vegas.
“I’ve had a mobility issue all my life, so this has been going on for a long time,” Hodgins said. “Finally I just got fed up and said, that’s it, I’m gonna say something.”
The resulting penalty against Air Canada is for several violations of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.
“It is a win, yeah, for sure,” said Hodgins of the decision.
But Hodgins and his wife – who was with him during the incident, as they were celebrating their anniversary on the trip –…
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