Air Transat Passengers Trapped On Hot Planes For Hours Forced To Call 911

Air Transat came under fire Monday after allegedly trapping passengers on two separate flights in sweltering heat, leading at least two customers to call 911, according to CBC News. The two flights were reportedly rerouted because of stormy weather, leaving passengers on the tarmac of Ottawa International Airport Authority (OIAA) for several hours.

Conditions on the flights became unbearable for several customers after the airplanes lost power, making the conditions in the cabin hot and difficult for passengers to breathe. One of the flights, Air Transat flight 157 from Brussels, arrived eight hours and fifteen minutes late to their destination, CBC News reported Tuesday.

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Air Transat and OIAA responded to complaints made by customers on Twitter by aiming to ease the confusion and frustration of customers who had not been informed by either party of the dilemma. Passengers severely castigated the airline for what some customers referred to as a "shameful" situation.

Debbie Cabana, Director of Public Relations and Social Media for Air Transat, issued a statement to International Business Times Tuesday about the extensive layovers airline passengers experienced. She claimed that some of its flights "had to be diverted to other airports" because of the thunderstorm that hit Montreal.

"The delays that affected our passengers yesterday were caused mainly by congestion on the ramp at Ottawa airport as well as by delays in refueling our aircraft," Cabana told IBT. "The shortage of fuel on TS157 also explains the lack of air conditioning on board for a time. We sincerely regret the inconveniences for our passengers caused by this situation that was beyond our control."

She added, "Nearly 30 planes with several airlines, including Air Transat, were diverted to Ottawa, creating exceptional traffic there. As a result, Ottawa airport staff were unable to provide with loading bridges or stairs that would have enabled the passengers on the Brussels flight to disembark or our ground crews to replenish the aircraft’s empty drinking water reservoir."

One customer directly tweeted OIAA and requested an update on the delays after allgedly being held on an Air Transat plane for five hours. OIAA responded, saying, "I'm sorry to hear that — it's up to the airline to determine whether to deplane or wait it out when a flight diverts."

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Another passenger tweeted at the airline and urged the company to explain the reason behind the delay. Air Transat responded, saying, "Due to bad weather out of our control, we were sent to another airport. Waiting for authorities, but should be leaving very soon."

A video was shared by another passenger on Twitter that depicted the airline looking to identify one of the passengers who made a 911 call about the layover. An overhead voice could be heard in the video asking, "Who called the 911 from this aircraft with the last for digits 0-4-0-3? Please present yourself to the very forward of the aircraft. Thank you for your cooperation."

Krista Kealey, a spokesperson for OIAA, issued a statement Tuesday to CBC News about Air Transat's layover incident. She claimed that Air Transat had the option of allowing passengers to exit the planes, but they had decided to forgo it.

"We did have buses on standby in case they decided to disembark their passengers and process them through customs," Kealey said. "However, that decision was not taken by the airline, and ultimately it is the airline that is responsible for making those decisions about whether a flight disembarks."

A representative for Ottawa International Airport Authority didn't immediately return International Business Times' request for comment.

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