Canada Air Travel Update: Major Airlines Launch Standardized Medical Form, Praised by AEBC

Published on December 4, 2025

For decades, the excitement of booking a holiday for many Canadians with disabilities has been dampened by a wall of bureaucracy. Imagine this: You book a flight to Vancouver with Air Canada, and you are required to pay your doctor $50 to fill out a specific “Fitness to Fly” form. Then, for the return trip, you find a better deal with WestJet. The catch? You have to go back to your doctor, pay another $50, and have them fill out a nearly identical—but technically different—form.

It was a redundant, expensive, and exhausting process that treated accessibility like a privilege rather than a right.

However, as of this week, that administrative headache is officially a thing of the past. In a rare and welcome display of unity, Canada’s major airlines have come together to launch a single, standardized medical form, a move that is being hailed as a major victory by advocacy groups, including the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC).

The “Game Changer” Announcement

On December 3, 2025, the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) announced that the country’s four largest carriers—Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation LP, and WestJet—have adopted a universal “Air Travel Requirements Assessment Form.”

This implies that effective immediately, a traveler with a chronic health condition, a visual impairment requiring an attendant, or specific mobility needs can complete one document and use it across any of these major airlines.

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC), a grassroots organization that has long fought for the rights of vision-impaired travelers, wasted no time in applauding the decision.

“This is a practical, long-overdue fix,” said Marcia Yale, President of the AEBC. “Our members encounter enough barriers when travelling. Reducing paperwork is one simple way to improve dignity, independence, and access.”

Why Was This Necessary?

To the average traveler, a medical form might seem like a minor detail. But for the disability community, the “Form Wars” were a significant barrier to freedom of movement.

Historically, every airline operated as an island. They had their own medical departments, their own legal wording, and their own proprietary forms. If a passenger needed accommodation—such as an extra seat for a support person (often covered under the “One Person, One Fare” policy) or approval to fly with medical oxygen—they had to prove their eligibility over and over again.

This system created three major problems:

The “Doctor Tax”: Canadian provincial healthcare (like OHIP or MSP) generally does not cover administrative forms. Doctors charge private fees for filling them out, ranging from $40 to over $100. Travelers often had to pay this multiple times for a single trip if it involved different carriers.

Logistical Risk: If a doctor made a mistake on the “WestJet form” because they were used to the “Air Canada form,” a passenger could be denied boarding.

Dignity: Having to repeatedly prove the existence of a permanent disability is emotionally taxing and reinforces the feeling that travelers with disabilities are a “burden” on the system.

How the New System Works

The new standardized form does not change the criteria for flying; it simply unifies the language.

Starting now, passengers can download the standardized form from any of the participating airlines’ websites. Once completed by a physician or nurse practitioner, that single piece of paper (or digital file) acts as a universal passport for medical clearance across the NACC member airlines.

“Aligning on a common form not only demonstrates our airlines’ commitment to listening, but reflects our members’ dedication to making air travel more accessible,” said Jeff Morrison, CEO of the NACC.

The form covers essential accessibility needs, including:

• Fitness to fly with unstable medical conditions.
• Supplemental oxygen requirements.
• The need for a personal care attendant.
• Severe peanut or pet allergies requiring buffer zones.

A Step Toward “Barrier-Free” Canada

This initiative didn’t happen in a vacuum. It is the result of pressure from the government and advocacy groups to meet the goals of the Accessible Canada Act, which aims to make the country barrier-free by 2040.

The AEBC and other disability advocates were consulted during the development of the form to ensure it met the actual needs of passengers, rather than just the legal needs of the airlines.

While this is a celebration, advocates remind us that the work isn’t done. Issues regarding damage to wheelchairs, inconsistent service regarding guide dogs, and communication barriers at airports still plague the industry. However, the removal of the “paperwork barrier” is a tangible, immediate improvement that puts money back in passengers’ pockets and time back in their schedules.

What Travelers Need to Know

If you or a loved one requires medical clearance to fly, here is how to take advantage of the new system:

• Download Once: Visit the accessibility page of Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, or Porter. The new form should be live as of December 3, 2025.
• Keep a Copy: Once your doctor fills it out, keep the original or a high-quality digital scan. You can now reuse this for different bookings (within the validity period determined by your condition).
• Check Validity: For stable, permanent conditions, the validity might be long-term. For temporary conditions (like recovering from surgery), you may still need a fresh update for future trips.

For the first time in years, Canadian travelers with medical needs can look forward to a holiday season with a little less red tape and a lot more freedom.