Air Canada apologizes to people booted from Vegas flight over vomit complaints

A passenger on an Air Canada flight from Las Vegas to Montreal alleged that two passengers were escorted off the flight after refusing to sit in seats that had been vomited in.

Susan Benson, who said she flew on the Air Canada flight leaving Harry Reid International Airport on Aug. 26, wrote in a Facebook post Aug. 29 that flight attendants attempted to clean an area before boarding that someone had vomited in.

Benson said in the post that when the two passengers tried to tell a flight attendant before they sat down that the seat and seatbelt were wet and still had vomit residue, the flight attendant explained that the flight was full and there was nothing that could be done to remedy the situation.

The passengers got blankets and wipes from the attendant and a supervisor to cover the seats, but the passengers were then approached by the pilot who told them they could either voluntarily leave the plane or be escorted off and put on the no-fly list because they were “rude” to the flight attendant, Benson said.

“They were certainly not!” Benson said in the post. “They were upset and firm, but not rude!”

Benson said after the exchange, the pilot walked to the front of the plane and security came down the aisle to escort the passengers off the flight.

“I have no idea if they were actually placed on the no-fly list or not,” Benson said in the post. “I cannot stop thinking about these two ladies. They did nothing wrong.”

Air Canada said in a statement to the Review-Journal Sunday that the company is reviewing the matter internally and have followed up with the customers as “(Air Canada’s) operating procedures were not followed correctly in this instance.”

Air Canada said it did apologize to the customers, and that the customers “clearly did not receive the standard of care to which they were entitled” and their concerns would be addressed.

“We remain in contact with them about this matter,” Air Canada said.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.