Checklists for Air Travel
Two useful checklists from the Canadian Transportation Agency
The Canadian Transport Agency publishes a Guide for Persons with Disabilities for air travellers, and a checklist for travel agents to use when making reservations.
The Canadian Transport Agency publishes two useful checklists for air travellers with disabilities. Both of these are available on the Agency's website. While these documents are intended for travel on airlines regulated by the Agency, they are also good general, practical guides for any disabled traveller to use.
Inside the brochure A Guide for Persons with Disabilities: Taking Charge of the Air Travel Experience, there is a checklist designed to be used by all travellers with disabilities, some of the items will not apply to individual travellers.
The main areas of the Guide's checklist include:
Booking
- self-identification
- obtaining necessary information
- requesting seating
- requesting written confirmations of all the services agreed to
Day of Departure
- ground transportation
- packing – medications, documents
Mobility Aid Checks
Items to Bring
Each of these areas is explained in greater detail, both in the checklist and in the Guide itself. The Guide is detailed and informative. The checklist is part of the Guide, which can be downloaded and photocopied. The Guide for Persons with Disablities is available in hard copy by writing or phoning:
Accessible Transportation Directorate
Canadian Transportation Agency
Ottawa ON K1A 0N9
VOICE: (819) 997-6828, 1-888-222-2592
TTY: (819) 953-9705, 1-800-669-5575
FAX: (819) 953-6019
Catalogue No. T22-92/2004E
ISBN 0-662-36190-3
Another useful checklist from the Canadian Transportation Agency is intended for travel agents to use when making reservations for persons with disabilities. Rather than assuming the travel agent has one, the traveller can download this checklist and take it along when booking.
There are 22 main items on this checklist, and not all will apply to every traveller. The main items are:
- Advising the carrier of the nature of the disability
- Alternate formats for information (Braille, large print, audio, electronic)
- Seat selection
- Attendant requirement – would apply if seeking an attendant fare
- Mobility aids to be brought
- Oxygen to be used on board plane and/or in terminals
- Accessibility of ground transportation at terminals
- Unaccompanied passenger services
- Check-in counter help
- Assistance with departure and arrival
- Assistance to get to the boarding gate
- Boarding and deboarding
- Transfers between mobility aids and passenger seat
- Carry-on baggage
- Meal-related services
- Assistance with washroom
- Transferring between airlines
- Checked baggage
- Moving to public area
- Service animal needs
- Connecting carriers to be advised
- Written confirmation of everything the carrier has agreed to do.
For a brief overview of the Canadian Transport Agency's Guide, see this article, Air Travel Guide - Disabled Travel.
