Air Canada Issues Apology to 2 Passengers Escorted Off Plane After They Had to Sit in Seats Covered in Vomit
Air Canada said in a statement that the passengers "clearly did not receive the standard of care to which they were entitled”
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Air CanadaAir Canada apologized to two passengers who were escorted off a plane after being told they had to sit in seats that were not cleaned well because someone vomited on them during the previous flight.
Susan Benson, a fellow passenger on the Aug. 26 flight from Las Vegas to Montreal, detailed the incident on Facebook three days later.
Noting that “there was a bit of a foul smell,” Benson explained that someone on the flight before had vomited near where two women and a man in front of her "were struggling to get seated.”
“Apparently, Air Canada attempted a quick cleanup before boarding but clearly wasn’t able to do a thorough clean,” Benson claimed. “They placed coffee grinds in the seat pouch and sprayed perfume to mask the smell."
Benson shared that “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.”
However, the “very apologetic” flight attendant said there was nothing that could be done to rectify the situation as the flight was full.
Related: Delta Flight Diverted After Passenger Suffers Severe Case of Diarrhea
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“The passengers said they couldn’t possibly be expected to sit in vomit for five hours,” Benson said, adding that they “argued back-and-forth for several minutes” before the flight attendant sought out her supervisor, who told the three passengers the exact same thing.
After “reluctantly” receiving blankets, disinfecting wipes and vomit bags to sit on per their request, Benson recalled the pilot walking down the aisle to the section, where he “calmly knelt down and told the two ladies that they had two choices."
"They could leave the plane on their own accord and organize flights on their own dime, or they would be escorted off the plane by security and placed on a no fly list!” Benson said. “When they asked why, he said they were rude to the flight attendant. They were certainly not! They were upset and firm, but not rude!”
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According to the Facebook post, security escorted the two women off the aircraft. "For what? Refusing to sit in vomit for five hours!” Benson continued.
“Air Canada literally expects passengers to sit in vomit or be escorted off the plane and placed on a no-fly list!” the post added. “I have no idea if they were actually placed on the no-fly list or not. I cannot stop thinking about these two ladies. They did nothing wrong.”
Air Canada told CNN, The Associated Press, and The Washington Post in a statement that the airline issued an apology to the passengers “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 read, according to the outlets. “We remain in contact with them about this matter.”
Air Canada did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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