Is Obesity a Disability? Canadian Airline Challenged
By Kay Schriner (kays@uark.edu)
A Canadian law professor, Linda McKay-Panos, claims that she was discriminated against when Air Canada charged her extra for a seat because she is obese. McKay-Panos was charged $970 for a second seat in 1997. The airline's policy is to discount the price of a second ticket for anyone who wants an extra seat when accompanying a small child or an "incapacitated person."
Canada's Transportation Act requires that airlines accommodate persons with disabilities, but does not specify whether obese people are to be considered as having a disability.
McKay-Panos, who describes herself as "morbidly obese", says that the airline's policy is discriminatory. She is quoted by reporter Judy Monchuk as saying that the policy should be "one person-one fare."
The case worries transportation officials, who fear the economic impact of having to provide an extra seat for obese travelers. Some experts estimate that one-third of all Canadians are obese.
Air Canada says that it provides accommodations such as removable armrests or allowance for guide dogs, but that having to give a free extra seat to an obese person would be unfair. In a Canadian Broadcast Company report, an airline spokesman says "We would make every effort to accommodate passengers who are obese and to make their travel as comfortable - and handle it as discreetly - as possible. But we do not believe obesity itself is a disability."
For more on the story, go to http://ca.news.yahoo.com and http://www.cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?category=Canada&story=news/2001/09/24/obesity010924
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