New Universal Health Form for Airlines to Simplify Accessible Travel
by Marsha Mowers
David Lyons-Black, Accessible Travel Specialist, Travel Masters.
A landmark change has just transformed how travellers with complex health needs prepare to fly within Canada or beyond our borders.
As of December 3, 2025, Canada’s major airlines have jointly introduced a universal medical form that passengers with limited mobility or complex medical needs can use across multiple carriers — removing redundancy and simplifying travel for a significant segment of travellers.
Before, travellers who require medical clearance to fly — whether due to the need for supplemental oxygen, an essential caregiver or attendant, or other accessibility considerations — faced a patchwork of airline-specific medical forms. Each carrier had its own format, criteria and wording. Not only did this create confusion, it meant multiple doctor visits and repeated paperwork for the same trip when travellers booked flights on different airlines.
The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), representing Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation LP and WestJet, has now harmonized this process with one common “Air Travel Requirements Assessment Form” that will be accepted by all member airlines.
No new or expanded medical requirements have been introduced and once completed by a physician or nurse practitioner, the same document can be reused across bookings with participating airlines.
“I welcome this standardized form for my clients, as this will make it a simpler process and less stressful for clients, “ said David Lyons-Black, advocate and Accessible Travel Specialist with Travel Masters.
“This is a giant leap going forward because this will make everything smoother, easier and more transparent and in the right direction. Hopefully other airlines will join this too.
With this and the announcement of ACTA and their consumer portal for advisors who specialize in accessible travel, this industry is starting to go in the right direction. We all know that all travellers should have the privilege and the right to travel.”
The form is available on any of the participating airlines’ website.
