Her damaged wheelchair: She blames Air Canada

A disabled Toronto woman says Air Canada severely damaged her electric wheelchair on a flight to Israel, preventing her from attending an accessibility conference.

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Mayan Jive, however, took several measures to ensure that his device remained intact during the flight. She arrived at the airport early and even wrapped her chair in bubble wrap.

Disabled people are not allowed to board a plane with a personal electronic mobility device, so the Torontonian had to register his wheelchair. However, upon her arrival in Tel Aviv, she found her wheelchair in a state of disrepair.

“It was a complete surprise and shock and, unfortunately, very upsetting. I came and my wheelchair was completely damaged. It looked like it was bent in half and it’s a very strong metal, so it fell or something fell on it,” Mayan Ziv told Global News.

Worth $30,000, the machine weighs between 300 and 400 pounds, estimates the young woman, who doesn’t think she can replace all the broken parts.

“He just moves […]But the most shocking and obvious thing that happened was that the whole seat fell apart,” she stated.

Although this is not the first time that his chair has been damaged on a flight, Mayan Jive felt the worst this time. So the person who was supposed to be speaking at a conference on accessibility had to stay in her hotel room.

“I was stuck. All I wanted to do was conference events [ne me sont plus accessibles]. I can’t leave this room. I’m sitting in an airport wheelchair that’s made for someone much older than me,” she said, adding that Canada must track how many mobility devices break every month. , something the United States recently began doing.

According to the latest report from the US Department of Transportation, in June 2022, US airlines “misused” 1,145 wheelchairs.

When she contacted Air Canada to complain about the damage to her car, the company offered her a $300 electronic coupon. This offer upset Mayan Jive. “This is more than an inconvenience, this is my life. This is my mobility, my health and my independence,” she said.

Air Canada contacted Global, Mr.^me Ziv to resolve the situation.