A Vancouver family has a lot of questions for Air Canada after they failed to provide assistance they promised.
Kelley Young is protective of her little brother, John Ross, who has Down Syndrome.
When he was put on an Air Canada flight from Portland, Ore. to Vancouver on Saturday, Young made arrangements with the airline to make sure he got on and off the plane okay.
But when 21-year-old Ross arrived at Vancouver International Airport, an escort only accompanied him as far as the baggage carousel and left him on his own after that.
Ross said he was only pointed in the direction of customs.
He managed to get through customs, but once on the other side he had no idea where he was or where he had to go.
After an hour of wandering, Ross called his sister who told him to find anyone to hand the phone over to.
Luckily, that someone turned out to be a customs official who helped reunite the siblings.
Air Canada said it is looking into the matter.
On its website, the company promises to provide assistance with getting passengers to the general public area on arrival.
Advocates for people with disabilities are alarmed at what happened to Ross.
“If a company commits to ensuring a passenger is going to be accompanied to a certain point in their travel and the person just points and says ‘over there,’ that is not sufficient and would be of concern,” said Jane Dyson of the Coalition of People With Disabilities.
Ross has flown on his own many times, so he isn’t worried about getting on a plane again.
“I’m not worried or scared,” he said. “I’ll be okay.”
His family isn’t looking for any financial compensation. They just want the policy to be made clear and followed through with.
“He should never have been left on his own, ” Young said. She said she hopes their experience will lead to more awareness about supporting people with disabilities.
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