Air Canada has issued an apology after two passengers were told to sit in poorly cleaned seats that had been covered in vomit on a previous flight.
Details of the incident, which occurred on board a flight from Las Vegas to Montreal on August 26, were posted online by passenger Susan Benson.
“There was a bit of a foul smell but we didn’t know at first what the problem was. Apparently, on the previous flight someone had vomited in that area. Air Canada attempted a quick cleanup before boarding but clearly wasn’t able to do a thorough clean,” Benson wrote in a Facebook post published August 29.
“They placed coffee grinds in the seat pouch and sprayed perfume to mask the smell. When the clearly upset passengers tried to explain to the flight attendant that the seat and seatbelt were wet and there was still visible vomit residue in their area, the flight attendant was very apologetic but explained that the flight was full and there was nothing they could do.”
The passengers and crew “argued back-and-forth for several minutes before a supervisor came over and reiterated that the passengers would have to stay in the vomit-covered seats as the flight was full,” she added.
Benson revealed how a pilot then came down the plane to speak to the passengers, telling them that “they could leave the plane… and organize flights on their own dime, or they would be escorted off the plane by security and placed on a no fly list!”
The explanation was that they had been “rude” to the flight attendant, but Benson disputes this.
“They were certainly not! They were upset and firm, but not rude!” she wrote.
Even though a fellow passenger tried to explain the situation, the pair were then escorted from the plane by security.
“For what? Refusing to sit in vomit for five hours!,” wrote Benson, who said the airline “literally expects” its passengers “to sit in vomit or be escorted off the plane and placed on a no-fly list!”
She then conceded that she didn’t know whether the passengers were in fact placed on a no-fly list.
“I am ashamed to be a Canadian and ashamed of Air Canada,” she wrote. “Shame on you Air Canada! shame on you!”
Air Canada responding to the allegations in a statement on Tuesday, September 5 said that it had issued an apology to the customers “as they clearly did not receive the standard of care to which they were entitled.”
“We are reviewing this serious matter internally and have followed up with the customers directly as our operating procedures were not followed correctly in this instance,” the statement continued.
“We remain in contact with them about this matter,” the airline added.
