Accessible travel
Air Canada is committed to being a leader in accessible travel. We believe in providing our services and reimagining our spaces with accessibility in mind.
Support person
A self-reliant traveller is self-sufficient and able to take care of their personal needs during the flight beyond the assistance services we offer.
You will need to travel with a support person if you are not self-reliant and require assistance with:
- Eating meals, taking medications or using the washroom
- Transferring to and from your seat1
- Orientation, communication, understanding and acting upon emergency instructions
- Evacuating in the event of an emergency
We may verify a few details regarding your level of self-reliance to determine whether you need to travel with a dedicated support person.
1. Our cabin crew is available to assist with transferring you to and from your seat.
Travel requirements
If you need to travel with a support person1, please take note of the following:
Area of travel
- You can book a discounted ticket for your support person on Canadian or U.S. flights only.
- A discounted ticket is not available for your support person on international flights.
Minimum age and responsibility
- You must be at least 8 years old to travel with a designated support person.
- The support person accompanying you must be at least 16 years old and should not require any special personal assistance from us or others, such as a service dog.
- Neither you nor your support person can be responsible for a child under 8 years old during the flight.
Seating
- For safety reasons, you and your support person can’t be seated in an exit row.
- You must both travel in the same cabin and be seated in adjacent seats or across the aisle from each other.
- When you call ahead (at least 48 hours before your trip), we’ll assign your adjacent seats to help accommodate your needs.
1. If you wish or need to travel with more than one support person, we can offer any applicable base fare discount or special rate for one of them.
How to book travel for a support person
Complete your own booking first then:
- Call Air Canada Accessibility Services immediately so that an agent can complete a booking for your support person on the same flight and ensure that you are seated in adjacent seats or across the aisle from each other.
- Print a copy of the Fitness-for-travel form and follow the instructions for how to request medical approval.
Reimbursement and special rates
Depending on your destination, your support person may qualify for a reimbursement1 to their fare or a special rate. To make your request:
- Contact Air Canada Accessibility Services up to 30 days after your flight to let us know you travelled with a support person.
- Provide a copy of your completed Fitness-for-travel form
| Flights within Canada | All other flights |
|---|---|
| Once approved, the base fare for your support person will be $0, however, all applicable taxes and fees remain payable, except for the Gander airport Authority’s Improvement Fee. | While Air Canada does not provide seats free of charge for support persons on these routes, we recommend that you contact the Medical Assistance Desk immediately to benefit from special rates*. |
If your request is approved, the reimbursement amount you receive for your support person will depend on where you travelled.
1. Reimbursement or special rates apply to flights within Canada and to/from the United States (except Hawaii and Puerto Rico). Contact Air Canada Accessibility Services for details.
Changing your choice of support person
Should your choice of support person change before travel, we will make this change free of charge when you contact Air Canada Accessibility Services at least 48 hours before your flight. We will, however, make a reasonable effort to accommodate requests made within 48 hours.
Curbside assistance
Airports in Canada offer curbside assistance at accessible drop off and pickup locations. This includes assistance into the airport or to your pickup location. For more information on this service and how to book it, please refer to the accessibility section on your airport’s website directly.
Questions before or during your trip?
We understand the importance of a great travel experience – Air Canada Accessibility Services is here to answer your questions and guide you through the process of planning your trip. Please contact us using the information below.
Air Canada Accessibility Services
Phone
1-800-667-4732 (toll-free for Canada and U.S.)
1-514-369-7039 (long distance charges apply)
TTY (teletypewriter): 1-833-754-3650 (toll free for Canada and U.S.)
437–880-6224 (long distance charges apply)
VRS (video relay): 1-833-768-2256 (toll free for Canada and U.S.)
437-880-6226 (long distance charges apply)
Fax
1-888-334-7717 (toll-free for Canada and the United States)
514-828-0027 (long distance charges apply)
Note: Please include your date of travel (day/month/year), last name, first name, and booking reference in the subject line.
e.g. 26/SEPT/2024, Jones, Mary, N3EI4E
In your email, please include your phone number and let us know if you use video relay/TTY so we can get in touch if we need more information.
Hours of operation (Eastern Time)
Daily: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST
For issues when using an assistive technology tool:
1-844-347-4268 (toll-free for Canada and the United States)
Written confirmation of services
When you complete your booking, the assistance services you have requested will be indicated on your booking confirmation. Should you request services at the airport, one of our agents will be able to assist and provide you with written confirmation of this as well.
It is important to note that we can only confirm services that will be provided on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or Air Canada Express.
For services on flights operated by other carriers, you will need to contact the other carrier directly to request and confirm any accessibility-related services.
Comments or concerns after your trip?
We’re committed to continually improving our accessibility services. We want to hear about your experience travelling with us.
Visit our customer support page and select Accessibility Concerns.
Select a topic then an issue from the dropdown menus.
Click Next.
Fill out the form with your information and details of the concern.
Our Commitments
As a partner to persons with disabilities, we make the following commitments:
Consult persons with disabilities and accessibility organizations, with a view to creating an enjoyable travel experience for persons with disabilities, whether in services or infrastructure, and providing a fulfilling employment experience in the workplace.
Develop and enhance accessibility features, policies and processes that broaden travel and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Train our employees and provide them with tools to encourage cooperation, lift barriers, and implement accommodations, both for our customers and our employees.
Promote a culture of respect and dignity in all our employees’ interactions with one another and with our customers and increase the representation of persons with disabilities within our workforce.
Collaborate with Canadian and international organizations and airport authorities to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities are considered in the workplace and throughout their travel experience.
These commitments reinforce our dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion in safe, accessible air travel for all customers, and accessible employment for all Air Canada employees.
Mike Rousseau
President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Canada
Our Accessibility Plan
We are committed to being leaders in accessible travel and believe in designing our products, services, and employment with accessibility in mind.
Questions or concerns
Do you need assistance with your upcoming travel plans? Contact Air Canada Accessibility Services at least 48 hours before departure, and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Phone:
1-800-667-4732 (toll-free for Canada and the United States)
1-514-369-7039 (long distance charges apply)
Email:
accessible@aircanada.ca
Feedback on Accessibility Plan
Using any of the options below, you can provide accessibility feedback (including feedback on this Plan), request an alternate format of our Accessibility Plan, or request a description of our feedback process.
We will acknowledge your feedback in the same format you utilize. You can also submit anonymous feedback.
Online form:
Phone:
1-888-422-2408
(TTY and video relay available)
Mail:
Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
7373 Côte-Vertu Blvd. West
Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec
H4S 1Z3
ZIP 1261
Director, Customer Accessibility
525 Viger Ave. Ouest
Montréal, Quebec
H2Z 0B2
Alternate formats
You can request our Accessibility Plan in any of the formats below by completing our online form.
Please allow 15 days
Large Print
Please allow 15 days
Braille
Please allow 45 days
Audio
Please allow 45 days
Website accessibility
At Air Canada, accessibility isn't just a checkbox—it’s an integral part of every innovation and interaction. We’re committed to providing the best possible travel experience to all people, addressing barriers in the built environment, products, and services that welcome and support people with disabilities.
Website accessibility
Air Canada is dedicated to making aircanada.com accessible to anyone with specific auditory, visual or mobility needs. We aim to enhance the accessibility and usability of our website by focusing on achieving level AA compliance as outlined within W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
Compatible screen readers and tools
We consistently strive to accommodate diverse user preferences and guarantee accessibility across various platforms and screen readers. While we aim to address all feasible variations, for your convenience, we’ve listed the most popular ones below.
| Software | Recommended browser |
|---|---|
| NVDA (desktop screen reader) | Firefox  |
| JAWS (desktop screen reader) | Chrome, Edge   |
| VoiceOver on iOS (mobile screen reader for Apple devices) | Safari, Chrome  |
| TalkBack (mobile screen reader for Android devices) | Chrome |