By Canadian Press

Supreme Court refuses to hear case concerning rights of disabled air passengers

Apr 9, 2020 | 7:22 AM

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not examine whether new air-travel rules that allow lengthy delays breach the rights of some Canadians with disabilities.

The federal regulations let airlines keep travellers on the tarmac for up to three hours — plus an extra 45 minutes if there is an “imminent” possibility a late plane will take off.

Passenger-rights advocate Gabor Lukacs and Bob Brown, a quadriplegic, asked the Federal Court of Appeal to hear their case against the Canadian Transportation Agency.

Brown, a disability-rights advocate, says the rules limit the distance he can travel as he can spend only so much time in an airline seat without experiencing severe physical pain.

Brown and Lukacs argued the rules violate equality rights, which prohibit discrimination based on physical disability, but the appeal court dismissed their request for a hearing.

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: Moons

Dec 10, 2024

Question of the Week

Should Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson apologize or resign after it was found he breached a section of council's code of conduct for allowing false or misleading information to be communicated?

Dec 09, 2024

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Donald has it wrong - again

Dec 08, 2024

As usual, the Supreme Court gave no reasons for refusing to consider the case.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2020.

The Canadian Press