Air Canada to apologize to 2 women after vomit complaint

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Two women removed from an Air Canada flight last month after they complained of vomit on their seats reportedly will be issued an apology.

The women had boarded a plane in Las Vegas and were bound for Montreal on Aug. 26 when they were kicked off the flight.

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“They clearly did not receive the standard of care to which they were entitled,” the airline said in a statement to the National Post, adding it is “reviewing this serious matter internally and have followed up with the customers directly as our operating procedures were not followed correctly in this instance.”

Susan Benson, who said she was seated behind the two women on the flight, shared what she witnessed to social media last week.

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Benson described the women along with a man having difficulty getting seated due to vomit stains apparently from a previous flight.

“Air Canada attempted a quick cleanup before boarding but clearly wasn’t able to do a thorough clean,” Benson wrote. “They placed coffee grinds in the seat pouch and sprayed perfume to mask the smell.”

The affected passengers complained that there was still some residue from the vomit and the seatbelts were still wet, Benson said. A flight attendant was apologetic but said there was nothing the airline could do because the flight was fully booked and there were no other seats available.

After arguing for a few minutes, the attendant said she would speak to her supervisor. The supervisor came over and was apologetic as well, but couldn’t do anything about the situation.

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The passengers asked for and were “reluctantly” given blankets to sit on and wet wipes to clean the affected area some more.

“They got themselves settled with blankets and wipes and next thing we knew the pilot came down the aisle and very 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!”

The passengers were told they were being rude to the flight attendant, but Benson denied the accusation against the two women.

“They were upset and firm, but not rude! The passenger beside them explained to the pilot that they have literal vomit in their seats and as a police officer they would never treat people like that.”

The pilot walked to the front of the plane and a short while later security boarded the aircraft and escorted the women off.

“For what? Refusing to sit in vomit for five hours,” Benson said. “Air Canada literally expects (passengers) to sit in vomit or be escorted off the plane and placed on a no-fly list!”

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