Air Transat Passengers Claim Deprivation Of Food And Water During Flight Delay

Almost a month after passengers faced a harrowing time aboard two grounded Air Transat planes at the Ottawa International Airport, hearings were heard Wednesday and Thursday in Ottawa, Canada, over the incident.

Canadian Transportation Agency in a statement Aug. 9 said it would be holding hearings against the airlines' actions after the passengers were struck for hours in the two planes.

The two flights from Brussels (flight TS157) and Rome (flight TS507), both bound for Montreal, were diverted July 31 amid bad weather to Ottawa. One of the passengers also rang emergency services to complain about the situation, reports said.

Passengers in the planes said they were stranded in the "oppressive" heat of cabins smelling of vomit without air-conditioning, beverages or food. The ground crews for the flights were not instructed to bring snacks or even water for the passengers, members of a federal inquiry into the ordeal were told Thursday, Global News Canada reported.

Three passengers aboard flight TS507 testified in public hearing Thursday they felt they were treated like a "luggage" by the airlines. Alan and Patricia Abraham from Rome said they were initially informed the delay in Ottawa would last for 45 minutes for refueling purposes, but they ended up spending five hours there, Evening Standard reported quoting the passengers' statement to the agency.

The Abrahams also said the bathroom in the plane ran out of toilet paper; a young boy who was trying to make his way to the bathroom as he was feeling nauseous ended up vomiting in the aisle and over several passengers. "The stench was unbearable," they said.

The agency heard four passengers from flight TS157, including Marc Jetté, who had called up 911.

He wanted to call first responders to the aircraft to distribute bottled water and ventilate the interior by opening the doors, a report said.

"It was like being trapped in an elevator," he said.

Meanwhile, Air Transat blamed circumstances that were out of its control for the passengers' ordeal. These experiences of the passengers was a "matter of perception," Global News reported quoting Matthew Jackson, the director of flight safety for Air Transat, when he was asked whether pilots were aware of how the passengers were feeling.

“If I’m managing a delay and I’m talking to a passenger who’s a very nervous flyer, a 15-minute delay may be a terrible thing for that passenger,” Jackson told the hearing. “Their perception is different than the frequent flyer … who’s used to delays.”

The airline and the airport have also squabbled over who is to be blamed for the passengers' ordeal.

Ottawa International Airport Authority CEO Mark Laroche told the inquiry Tuesday that Air Transat was misleading when it said that airport was responsible for not bringing stairs and fuels to the planes, according to CBC News. He added the airport authority was not in charge of many of the problems faced by the passengers and that are being investigated.

The CEO pointed out those responsibilities was part of an agreement between the airline and its ground contractors.