Some Canadians may be eligible to join Air Canada wheelchair assistance class action

The Supreme Court of British Columbia certified a class-action lawsuit against Air Canada on Sept. 8, 2026, allowing the case to proceed. Filed on June 14, 2024, the action is on behalf of eligible passengers who required a wheelchair and travelled with the airline between January 2021 and June 2023.

The claim was brought by Rodney Hodgins of Prince George, B.C., a construction worker with spastic cerebral palsy who cannot walk and uses a customized power wheelchair. It alleges Air Canada breached contractual obligations to safely and respectfully assist passengers with mobility impairments and to properly transport their mobility aids. The lawsuit also alleges contraventions of the Competition Act and consumer-protection legislation.

The lawsuit describes a July 2022 incident in which staff assigned to help Hodgins board arrived two hours late, delaying the flight. As the last passenger to board, he may have appeared responsible for the delay, the claim says. With no overhead-bin space available, he had to check a bag containing medication and his wheelchair charger. The airline allegedly lost the bag, leaving him unable to charge his power wheelchair after arriving in Prince George.

It also describes an Aug. 30, 2023 trip to Las Vegas with his wife, Deanna. Only one staff member with an aisle chair arrived to help Hodgins leave the aircraft, and the staff member could not assist him alone. The lawsuit says Air Canada staff insisted he make his own way off the plane. Deanna told Daily Hive that, with her help, he dragged himself from his seat to the front of the aircraft. She said the incident caused pain, increased cramping and limb spasms, preventing him from enjoying the first days of the vacation. She also said the airline sent the couple a letter acknowledging it had broken the law by violating the Canadian Disabilities Act.

The allegations have not been proven in court. Daily Hive said it sought comment from Air Canada but had not received a response. The article notes other reported experiences, including a 2023 video in which Toronto passenger Maayan Ziv said Air Canada broke her wheelchair, and a 2024 account by Canadian blogger Tori Lacey about being carried down stairs in a broken aisle chair after arriving in Liberia, Costa Rica without a jet bridge.

Eligible class members are Canadian residents who travelled with Air Canada during the stated period and needed a wheelchair to get to and from an aircraft, including help with steps and seating. No compensation amount has been set. The action seeks damages for alleged breach of contract, including for mental distress, inconvenience, humiliation, pain and suffering, as well as punitive, exemplary and aggravated damages and other remedies.