Bringing accessibility to life at Air Canada
By Kerianne Wilson, Director, Customer Accessibility at Air Canada.
I didn’t set out to write a plan. I set out to listen. The turning point for me came during an early conversation when a customer explained that travel, for them, wasn’t simply transportation. It was independence. In that moment, “accessibility” stopped sounding like a program and started feeling like a promise: dignity, independence and choice in every step of the journey. That’s why Air Canada’s 2023–26 Accessibility Plan exists; it is not an enhancement but an essential service quality. Our annual progress reports support this, and we will soon release the 2026–29 instalment as well, highlighting the various programs and initiatives we will tackle over the next three-year period.
So, how did it begin? As our customer experience data grew, the scale of the work became impossible to ignore. In 2024 alone, more than 577,000 customers requested accessibility assistance. I remember seeing that number and thinking that’s not a metric but hundreds of thousands of real people, each with a specific hope for a smoother, safer journey. Their voices helped us see the patterns —communication gaps, mobility aid handling, digital friction — and those patterns demanded action.
We didn’t do this in isolation. We co‑designed the plan with customers and employees with disabilities, guided throughout by our Accessibility Advisory Committee. The committee kept us grounded in lived experience and ensured our plan evolved as needs evolved. Their role was never ceremonial; it shaped our priorities, our consultation approach and our long‑term planning. This year, we strengthened that foundation by welcoming six new members to the committee in March and to their first in-person meeting in early April. Their diverse perspectives and lived experiences broaden our understanding and help ensure our accessibility strategy continues to reflect the needs of the communities we serve. The committee remains a leading voice in shaping an accessible travel experience for customers and employees alike, and its expanded membership reinforces our long‑term commitment to accessibility.
And as the committee’s influence has deepened, so has my understanding of what true accessibility work requires. What changed me most was the culture shift I witnessed. We moved from reacting to problems to designing proactively, from “add accessibility later” to “start with accessibility now” and from good intentions to measurable commitments. I learned to be transparent about where we were strong, where we had gaps and what would require time, investment and iteration. Along the way, I kept coming back to the people who made it matter.
Donna Jodhan, President of Sterling Creations, reminded me that this work is ultimately about trust and about being able to step onto a plane or open an app and expect dignity, not hope for it, saying, “I treasure and value my right to independence, which I deem to be a given and not a ‘nice to have.’ This is my right and not a duty to accommodate.”
Joanne Smith, host of CBC’s “Moving On,” brought into focus how accessibility only becomes real when we hold ourselves accountable for the gaps we haven’t closed yet. Her point was simple: progress matters, but honesty makes real progress possible. “I don’t see honesty and progress as a choice; honesty is what makes real progress possible. What’s been especially refreshing in working with Air Canada’s Accessibility team is its willingness to acknowledge past mistakes, actively listen to individuals with lived experience and turn those insights into informed decisions that drive meaningful progress.”
David Lyons-Black, Accessible Travel Specialist at Travel Masters, underlined how honesty and progress are equal: “Be honest and communicate because that’s how you get progress.”
The plan is just the beginning. The real story lives in the moments our customers describe — when a mobility aid arrives safely, when information is easy to find, when an employee slows down at exactly the right time. Those moments are the proof points that keep me going. They tell me that when we design with people, not around them, accessibility moves from a promise on paper to a practice embedded in how we serve. That’s the journey we’re on, and it starts with listening.
Until next time.