Ottawa-area man reunited with wheelchair four days after Sunwing flight home
An Ottawa-area man has been reunited with his wheelchair after it was lost for four days following a flight home on Sunwing Airlines.
Cory Beausoleil says his wheelchair never showed up at the Ottawa International Airport after his family’s direct flight home from Cancun on Saturday.
After waiting more than hour after arriving, Beausoleil’s mother asked an airport staff member they were still looking for the wheelchair, and was told the wheelchair wasn’t anywhere in the airport.
"We waited with everybody else to get our luggage, and they basically told me that my wheelchair didn't make it on the plane," Beausoleil said.
Four days later, on Tuesday, a staff member from the Ottawa Airport called him to let him know the wheelchair had arrived and would be delivered to his home.
"I have been without a chair for four days, unable to do grocery shopping, or go outside with my dog, do regular normal activity," he said. "It's not like lost luggage; it's a part of who I am. It's a part of me having full independence."
Beausoleil lives with cerebral palsy and relies on a wheelchair. He has travelled often with his wheelchair and has never had any issues until now.
He says he got no details or communication from Sunwing over the past few days. The family filed multiple lost luggage reports and left several voicemails.
"At least give us an update as to what is going on, who is helping," he said. "It has all been radio silence; to me the communication has been zero."
Since coming home, Beausoleil has had to use a walker, but his mobility is limited and it is difficult to get around. The family took to social media, posting about the lost wheelchair. The post has been reshared more than 900 times.
He said a chair like his costs more than $2,000.
"I haven’t been able to do the activity I would normally be doing," he says. "I need to keep my life on track so for that reason I probably would have just bought a new chair."
Relieved the wheelchair is back, Beausoleil says he wanted to share his experience in hopes to make the airline accountable, and to make sure it doesn’t happen again to anyone else.
"It was about pressure. Some people are stuck with a wheelchair being their only mode of transportation. For me, I can use my walker or crutches, but some people, it’s their only mode of transportation, and even 24 hours would be a lot, so four days is unacceptable. I am happy it is resolved, but it took too much time."
"Hopefully this platform can help shine light on this situation and help other people."
In a statement to CTV News earlier on Tuesday, Sunwing said: "We can confirm a baggage claim was made by the family on Sunday, January 29, regarding a missing wheelchair following their northbound travels from Cancun to Ottawa. We are pleased to confirm the customer's wheelchair has since been located by our airline staff and is being delivered to the family today. We apologize to the family for the inconvenience and look forward to reuniting them with their wheelchair, and hope they choose to travel with us again in future."
- with files from Shaun Vardon, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.