Last week, my colleague, Danielle Smith, talked with Gabor Lukac, a long time advocate, about passengers rights when flying on airlines which are governed by Canadian laws. It was interesting to me because I have my own recent experience on this matter.
Last Wednesday, I was returning to Calgary from a vacation in southern Ontario. The flight was due to leave Pearson International Airport at 10 a.m. As the doors were about to close, the captain came on the public address system and reported there would be a slight delay because of a problem with the aircraft’s smoke detector system.
Departure was delayed for a half hour while maintenance installed a new part. But the system was still not working. The decision was made to deplane and allow passengers to wait in the terminal while another part was found and installed.
It meant we could all hit Tim Horton’s, have a bite to eat, and stretch our legs before the plane was reloaded and we could get off on our flight to Calgary. Once airborne, the flight was uneventful. We were two and a half hours late.
The point I’m making is that things can always go wrong in travel. That’s just the way it is. But, in this case, Air Canada gave some thought to how all of us needed to be treated as people. No airline or airport should be allowed to hold passengers for hours on end aboard aircraft without access to refreshments or washrooms. The fact that it is being done is the reason why passengers’ rights are soon to be enshrined in federal law.
In my case, courtesy to paying customers and a little common sense produced a good decision by airline personnel. Yes, the airport is a busy place. Yes, the gate we were using was going to be used by another aircraft as soon as it became available.
But people cannot be treated like cattle. And if it’s happening, and it requires a law to give common sense and courtesy legal standing, so be it.
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