Jackie Munro has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, but that hasn’t stopped the 51-year-old from Vancouver Island from seeing the world. “My husband and I really love travelling, we have been lots of places,” said the Campell River resident. “We are just trying to fit in as much as we can while we can. My condition is declining.” Munro normally has no trouble getting on and off airplanes in her wheelchair. “There is always a note placed on my file so that the staff can see that I need to have a ramp and have some accessible way to get onto the plane. But in Mexico when I arrive, often the Mexican airports divert the plane to the tarmac,” she said. The first time she was told there would be no ramp or lift to get her on the plane was on a WestJet flight in Puerto Vallarta. “And they brought an aisle chair, which is a very small metal chair. They strapped me, both my arms and my legs, to the wheelchair so that I couldn’t move. And then two young men that were employed by the Mexican airport lifted me and carried me up a very steep staircase. It was terrifying,” said Munro. Since then, it’s happened three more times on WestJet flights to or from Mexico. “My sister who I travel with or my husband has had to physically lift my legs so that I can descend, and then my wheelchair will be at the bottom of the the stairs,” Munro said. Munro is not alone. In 2023, former Paralympian Sarah Morris-Probert had to bump herself backwards up the stairs of a WestJet flight in Cabo San Lucas. “It got a lot of publicity. WestJet’s CEO apologized profusely, but didn’t do anything about it. And it’s still happening,” said Munro. During her last flight in February, Munro saw many wheelchairs ramps on the tarmac in Puerto Vallarta. “There’s Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines. And when we’ve inquired about using the ramps, we were told that they’re owned by the American group of airlines, and they’re not for use by WestJet,” she said. Munro wants the Canadian Transportation Agency to force airlines it oversees to provide lifts or ramps at all destination airports. “If you’re going to sell a disabled passenger a ticket for your airline, you need to have a safe way for them to get on and off that aircraft,” said Munro. WestJet has not responded to a request for an interview on the topic. This story will be updated if the airline provides a statement. Munro’s mother lives in Puerto Vallarta and she has plans to visit her again in February. “I have looked into flying through the U.S, but it’s a two day process to go from where I live to get to Puerto Vallarta instead of six hours. So, at this point, I’ve booked with WestJet,” she said. “I’m still hopeful that something will happen, but I’m scared.”
