Decision No. 294-AT-A-2002

May 28, 2002

File No. U 3570/99-42

BACKGROUND

In its Decision No. 151-AT-A-2000 dated March 7, 2000, the Canadian Transportation Agency (hereinafter the Agency) made a determination with respect to an application filed by Darlene DeStefano, on behalf of William Pamplin, on September 9, 1999. The complaint pertained to the level of awareness of Air Canada's personnel with respect to its oxygen service and the level of boarding and deplaning assistance provided in the course of a round trip between Toronto, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta.

Pursuant to Decision No. 151-AT-A-2000, Air Canada was required to submit to the Agency a report on the measures it would implement to ensure that its employees initiate discussions with persons with disabilities, or their representatives, to determine the extent of boarding/deplaning assistance they will require and to evaluate whether the employees assigned to provide the requested services will be able to meet the person's needs. Air Canada was also required to submit the time frame within which it would be able to implement the changes in its procedures and provide information on how it would convey these changes to the affected personnel, including an amendment to its training program.

Following its consideration of the information submitted by Air Canada in response to Decision No. 151-AT-A-2000, the Agency, in its Decision No. 523-AT-A-2000 dated August 9, 2000, found that while the corrective measures taken by the carrier should further sensitize its front-line personnel who deal directly with the public, raise their awareness with respect to the needs of persons with disabilities when they travel and promote dialogue between Air Canada's personnel and persons with disabilities, Air Canada failed to address the issue of whether the carrier's employees assigned to provide the requested services will be able to do so. The Agency further found that the measures taken by Air Canada were not exhaustive and could still pose undue obstacles to the mobility of persons with disabilities. Based on these findings, the Agency concluded that Air Canada failed to satisfy the requirements of Decision No. 151-AT-A-2000.

Pursuant to Decision No. 523-AT-A-2000, Air Canada was therefore required to:

• further amend its Customer Service Training Manual, within thirty (30) days from the date of the Decision, to specifically reflect that, at the time of reservation, its personnel should ask questions in order to determine whether one or more employees will be required to provide a specific service, such as boarding and deplaning assistance; and
• issue a follow-up Bulletin to the employees concerned to advise them of the amendment.

ISSUE

The issue to be addressed is whether the measures undertaken by Air Canada satisfy the requirements of Decision No. 523-AT-A-2000.

FACTS

On August 30, 2000, Air Canada requested an extension until October 6, 2000 to comply with the requirements set out in Decision No. 523-AT-A-2000. The Agency, by Decision No. LET-AT-A-264-2000 dated September 8, 2000, granted Air Canada the requested extension.

On October 6, 2000, Air Canada reported that the following measures had been taken:

• Air Canada's Call Centre Agents are now equipped to interact with customers to ascertain and record in the Passenger Name Record (PNR) the number of agents required to perform a wheelchair transfer. The internal process that Air Canada has put in place generates a message to the airport for the assignment of the appropriate number of agents at times of boarding and deplaning.
• Air Canada issued a Customer Service Bulletin on October 4, 2000, (Bulletin No. 2000-24) that provides that airport agents must determine the number of assisting personnel required to transfer a customer between a wheelchair and the aircraft seat and, if two or more are required, this information should be entered in the PNR to allow airport staff to dispatch the required personnel to assist in the transfer. A copy of the Customer Service Bulletin was provided to the Agency along with a copy of CIC*59/74 referred to in the Bulletin.
• Air Canada revised its Special Services Lesson of the Basic Aeroplan Course on October 4, 2000 to include an amended section stressing the importance of asking customers using wheelchairs if one person is sufficient to assist in the transfer of the person between the wheelchair and the aircraft seat and, if two or more are required, of entering this information on the PNR to allow airport staff to dispatch the required personnel to assist in the transfer. A copy of the amended section was provided to the Agency. Air Canada further advised that Call Centre Agents receive these Special Services sessions as part of their initial training.

ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

The Agency has considered all of the material submitted by Air Canada and finds that the measures taken to ensure that its agents interact with customers to ascertain and record in the PNR the number of agents required to perform a wheelchair transfer so that a message is generated to airport staff for the assignment of the appropriate number of agents at times of boarding and deplaning should result in Air Canada's customer service personnel being better prepared and in a better position to prevent the recurrence of incidents similar to those experienced by Mr. Pamplin.

CONCLUSION

Based on the foregoing, the Agency is satisfied that Air Canada has met the requirements of Decision No. 523-AT-A-2000 dated August 9, 2000. Accordingly, the Agency does not contemplate any further action in this matter.