A man with a disability was forced to drag himself off a plane in Las Vegas after Air Canada failed to provide him with a wheelchair. Rodney Hodgins, who has spastic cerebral palsy and relies on a motorized wheelchair, had traveled to Las Vegas with his wife to celebrate their anniversary. When the flight attendant informed them that a wheelchair could not be arranged, Mr. Hodgins initially thought it was a joke. However, it soon became clear that he would have to disembark without assistance.
Despite explaining that he was unable to walk, the flight attendant insisted that he make his own way off the plane. Mr. Hodgins, a hardware salesman from British Columbia, was left with no choice but to rely on his upper body strength to drag himself past several rows of seats, while his wife supported his legs. The incident left both of them with injuries to their backs and legs, but the emotional toll was even greater.
In a Facebook post, Mrs. Hodgins described the incident as a violation of her husband’s human rights and expressed disappointment that Air Canada had failed to respond or reach out to them as promised. She emphasized that they had meticulously planned the trip for eight months and had fulfilled all their requirements, only to be let down by the airline.
Air Canada has since apologized to Mr. Hodgins and offered him compensation for the lack of assistance he experienced at the Las Vegas airport. The airline stated that they use a third-party wheelchair assistance specialist in Las Vegas and will be investigating the cause of the service lapse. They also mentioned that they will be evaluating other mobility assistance service partners in the area.
