Air Canada Apologizes After Two Protested Passengers Were Dropped Off The Plane

Illustration of the Air Canada fleet. (Wikimedia Commons/BriYYZ)

Air airline Air Canada said it had apologized to the two passengers who were escorted out of the plane by security officers, after protesting against their seats covered in vomit.

The airline said on Tuesday this week that passengers "clearly did not receive the service standards they should have received," as quoted by CNA September 9.

The incident, which occurred during a boarding flight August 26 from Las Vegas to Montreal, was described in detail by another passenger, Susan Benson of New Brunswick, who said she was behind two women and a man.

"There's a bit of a foul smell but we don't know what the problem is," Benson wrote on Facebook three days later.

"The Canadian water tried to clean up quickly before passengers boarded the plane, but obviously couldn't do a thorough cleaning."

Benson said workers sprayed the area with perfume to hide the smell. The passengers who sat on the chair told the flight attendants, seats and seat belts were wet and they could still see vomit.

The flight attendant and a supervisor told the passenger the flight was full and they just needed to sit there.

The women tried to use blankets and tissue to deal with it when one of the pilots appeared, Benson wrote.

He said the pilot told women, who were on their way to Vienna, that they could go and order a new flight at their own expense "or they would be escorted out of the plane by security officers and put on the flight ban list!"

Benson said the pilot accused the women of being rude to flight attendants, but he denied it.

"They are annoyed and firm, but not rude," said Benson.

Security forces then escorted the women off the plane.

When asked if his party would argue with the Benson account, Air Canada did not answer.

In a statement, Air Canada said it was still reviewing the matter on Tuesday and had contacted passengers "because our operating procedures were not followed properly in this case".

"This includes apologizing to the customer, because they clearly do not accept the service standards they are entitled to, and overcoming their concerns," the airline said.