Twenty-five-year-old Sammy Cavallaro and his family run one of the most successful sports podcasts in the country, The Sick Podcast.
And so covering major events, such as the upcoming Super Bowl, means having to travel from time to time.
The Montreal-area family says at the end of December, they began looking for direct flights from Montreal to San Francisco.
Their goal was to leave Jan. 30, in order to arrive the week before the Feb. 8 game.
To board a plane, Sammy’s wheelchair must be stored in cargo, making the aircraft size crucial.
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His family then carries him onto the aircraft with a carrier and helps him sit.
Mariani says once their flight was booked, agents told her none of the direct flights had aircraft that could accommodate them and were instead offered a connecting route.
“You have to understand that we need to carry my son on the plane, off the plane,” said Mariani. “Now with a connecting flight, you’re doubling the safety. And then the wheelchair (the) chances of the wheelchair being broken, being put in cargo, you’re doubling that.”
Air passenger rights advocate Gábor Lukács says Air Canada should have done more.
He points to a 2023 decision from the Canadian Transportation Agency, which says that when passengers who use power wheelchairs give at least 21 days’ notice, airlines must have an accessible option.
“I’m sure that the spirit of the order in place against Air Canada has been violated, that’s a no-brainer,” said Lukács.
In a statement to Global News, Peter Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for the airline says a direct flight was not possible, and that offering a connecting route met its obligations.
“Tens of thousands of our customers, including those with mobility related disabilities, connect each day in our network and we have processes in place to make such connections easy.”
But the family says that isn’t enough.
They want their son — and others — to be treated like everyone else.
“Just do things right,” said Aniello Cavallaro, Sammy’s father. “We’re not asking for any special treatment, just treat the people right. Life is hard enough for them — just treat them right.”
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