Overview
- WestJet sets a 136-kilogram maximum for mobility aids on the vast majority of its fleet, primarily Boeing 737 narrow-bodies.
- In a filing to the Canadian Transportation Agency, the carrier says the limit stems from a cargo-hold weight distribution analysis for upright power chairs.
- Advocates and travellers say the rule excludes many complex power wheelchairs and amounts to discrimination.
- Former MP Steven Fletcher reports medical harm after switching chairs when told his own exceeded the limit on a February trip.
- WestJet acknowledges a Saskatoon teenager was denied travel because her chair was well above the threshold and says it is working with the family, while supporters note other North American airlines do not impose such a low cap and cite American Airlines’ 2020 reversal.