Canada's "favourite" airline continues slide into mediocrity

[anonymous]

Man kicked off flight for being asleep prior to take-off

 

Where do they get these FAs? I'm glad I don't flight on the county's favourite because I fall asleep before t/o on a regular basis...

[Kip Powick]

Well I see the point about being awake for takeoff, I would think that should be a requirement but once he was awake, I would think he should have been allowed to stay on the aircraft. Personally I think the FA was less than tactful about the whole episode.

[Maverick]

28 minutes ago, anonymous said:

Man kicked off flight for being asleep prior to take-off

 

Where do they get these FAs? I'm glad I don't flight on the county's favourite because I fall asleep before t/o on a regular basis...

So let me get this straight, you'd be okay to depart with a non responsive passenger? How do you think your favourite airline would be viewed if the guy had stroked out?

Let me just say that you're my winner for d!ckhead post of the year.

[Kip Powick]

8 minutes ago, Maverick said:

So let me get this straight, you'd be okay to depart with a non responsive passenger? How do you think your favourite airline would be viewed if the guy had stroked out?

Let me just say that you're my winner for d!ckhead post of the year.

I think that is a bit of over the top response Mav..... I agree that the man had to be awake for takeoff but many people are deep sleepers and the FA jumped to conclusions that he was ill and  "they" decided to take him off the plane...He was awake.....that should have been the end of it.

[Maverick]

Just now, Kip Powick said:

I think that is a bit of over the top response Mav..... I agree that the man had to be awake for takeoff but many people are deep sleepers and the FA jumped to conclusions that he was ill and  "they" decided to take him off the plane...He was awake.....that should have been the end of it.

I agree, Kip. A bit more tact could have been used with the fellow. I was more reacting to anonymous' over the top derision of the airline.

I have zero problem with constructive criticism but the almost spitting bile he/she spewed doesn't belong here.

 

[Vsplat]

Hmmm. 

Pretty strong response there, both initially and in this thread.

Falling asleep on its own is not a removable offence.  I'm not aware of anything in any passenger briefing requiring all passengers to be awake for takeoff.  Of course it makes sense, especially if one is seated near an emergency exit or on an aisle seat, say, but even when sitting at an exit, I have never been advised that I have any such obligation.

If the concern was that the passenger was having a medical event because they were hard to rouse, once they were awake, the matter should have been settled.  But, since they had taken a sleeping pill, I wonder how awake they truly appeared to the flight attendant.  Maybe they were drifting in and out.  That might have played a factor.  Hard to see for those not there and we know passenger accounts can vary widely from those of the crew.

If impairment was a concern,  I wonder at the precedent.  I've had more than a few passengers removed at the gate because they boarded hammered.  Others where it was marginal.  Would they have had their 'stuff' together in an evacuation?

So, tough circumstances all around, but the discussion is an important one.  I don't think we have heard the last of this issue, especially as edibles start to come on board, or become a pre-flight snack in the boarding lounge.   (OT - will we need new policies to deal with multiple passengers whose cruising FL is above the aircraft??)

Vs

[conehead]

1 hour ago, anonymous said:

...I fall asleep before t/o on a regular basis...

Only when you’re the pilot.   

Seriously though, I do the same. I’m usually nodding off during pushback.

Now that I’ve read the story, I think they chased some customers towards Air Canada.

[Kip Powick]

41 minutes ago, Vsplat said:

Hmmm. 

.   (OT - will we need new policies to deal with multiple passengers whose cruising FL is above the aircraft??)

Vs

All I have read is that "pot-heads" tend to be pretty mellow and get extremely hungry....maybe all we will have to do is increase the catering loads.........and hike the snack prices ???

[Super 80]

That is funny considering I was in awe that they didn't boot a guy who was wasted off a flight I was on. He just claimed he had taken painkillers for a tooth ache and they accepted that explanation.

[Vsplat]

57 minutes ago, Kip Powick said:

All I have read is that "pot-heads" tend to be pretty mellow and get extremely hungry....maybe all we will have to do is increase the catering loads.........and hike the snack prices ???

Ya, I guess the onboard ads, 'got the munchies?' have taken on a more 70's meaning....

Vs

[J.O.]

If being asleep before takeoff was grounds for removal, I should have been punted off at least a third of my trips as a passenger - including those I've done on WestJet. 

[Wolfhunter]

It would seem to me that the issue here is not just impairment, or the level of impairment; it’s those factors in concert with his recent history of having a stroke. Obviously these assessments can be pretty subjective but they’re only subjective until the point of becoming non responsive.

I’m not sure what to make of the “I’m alert, no you aren’t” thing or the whole interaction as reported, but regardless, I feel a bit bad for the FA here. While it doesn’t say, I’m assuming that his recent stroke event factored into the decision to deplane him. I can only imagine the headline had he actually stroked out at cruising altitude because time is such a critical element in successful treatment. I bet it would have read very differently.

 

 

[UpperDeck]

I suggest that FA's do not wake up in the morning wondering to themselves how they can spoil someone else's day. As with incidents involving flight operation, perhaps we ought to begin with the assumption...even presumption...that we do not know ( and never will be in possession of) all relevant facts.

I did note that the article included the facts that 1) this pax had a recent stroke; 2) he was seen slumped over; 3) in response to an inquiry by the FA, his wife said he was asleep; 4) the FA asked that she awaken the pax; 5) the wife " nudged" her husband who did NOT respond.....and from that point, concern escalated as did efforts to persuade the airline employees that the pax was not incapacitated.

I was in the boarding lounge some years ago and a boarding pax was seen as unsteady, pale and had shortness of breath. His wife was also concerned. Emergency personnel were summonsed and the pax was removed on a stretcher. Had it occurred an hour later, you're dumping fuel and returning to point of departure...or worse.

In my opinion, prudence dictated the actions taken.

[UpperDeck]

Sorry Wolf....echoing your comments but was typing while you were posting so didn't see your post until I hit " submit reply".

[Kip Powick]

4 minutes ago, Wolfhunter said:

recent stroke event factored into the decision to deplane him.

Nowhere in the article does it mention that the family or the individual mentioned to the FA that he had  previously had a  stroke. .......only the author of the article makes that statement.

However as none of us were there....maybe it was information given to the FA or nurse...during the discourse......who knows.???

[UpperDeck]

You're right, KP . There is reference to requiring assistance to walk and departure by wheelchair but no indication of whether stroke was known to cabin crew or other Westjet personnel.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, UpperDeck said:

You're right, KP . There is reference to requiring assistance to walk and departure by wheelchair but no indication of whether stroke was known to cabin crew or other Westjet personnel.

In actual fact it is normal for the paramedics to use a wheelchair to move a patient even if they are able to walk.;' (liability issues the same as hospitals who insist you are brought to the door in a wheel chair when leaving after a stay)

Quote

But paramedics soon arrived with a wheelchair and removed Bennett from the plane, despite his pleas that he wasn't ill and had simply taken a sedative.

 

[UpperDeck]

5 minutes ago, Malcolm said:

In actual fact it is normal for the paramedics to use a wheelchair to move a patient even if they are able to walk.;'

 

Lol....and to use a wheelchair if they CAN'T walk.

[blues deville]

The initial posted news article doesn’t mention if the passenger was seated near or an exit row. I’ve been told to stay awake too a few times but sitting elsewhere it’s never been a problem.

Will westjet require everyone sitting in their new 787 business class pods to remain alert until V2? Doubt it. 

[AMEfirst]

6 hours ago, Maverick said:

So let me get this straight, you'd be okay to depart with a non responsive passenger? How do you think your favourite airline would be viewed if the guy had stroked out?

Let me just say that you're my winner for d!ckhead post of the year.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Guest]

make the BBC:

Quote

Man kicked off Canada plane over 'sleeping pill'

• 1 hour ago

• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46077759

  Read more about sharing.

  These are external links and will open in a new window

Image caption Stephen Bennett and his wife

A Canadian man who was removed from a flight after taking a prescription sleeping pill prior to boarding says he feels humiliated by the experience.

Stephen Bennett says the trouble began when a crew member tried to wake him before takeoff.

He says he was not allowed back on the plane despite airport paramedics saying he was fit to fly and an emailed note from his doctor.

The airline says its crew acted appropriately given the circumstances.

Mr Bennett, from Burnaby, British Columbia (BC), and his wife and son were on their way to Cuba and had a layover in Toronto on 13 October.Image copyright WestJet

He says he did not sleep on the overnight flight from the westernmost province of BC and so took a sleeping pill prescribed by his doctor before the connecting flight.

Mr Bennett, who is recovering from a stroke, boarded early and fell asleep immediately. He says he next remembers waking up when his wife nudged him and the flight attendant told him "he had to go" because he was a "medical emergency".He says there may have been some initial confusion because his wife's first language is not English and she wanted him to rest, but once he was awake he was able to explain he had taken medication.

Paramedics were called and removed him from the plane in a wheelchair. He says they checked him once he was off the plane and told WestJet crew his vitals were fine and he was able to fly, but to no avail.

He says also was able to get his doctor to email a note saying he was healthy enough for the flight.

"It was so humiliating," he said. "Basically, the stewardess became judge, jury and executioner."

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The airline says that it cannot comment specifically on Mr Bennett's case due to privacy concerns. But it said that in any instance where its crew believes a passenger is showing signs of not being fit to fly, that passenger will be removed "out of an abundance of caution".

It noted that those instances include "significant impairment arising from the consumption or use of alcohol or drugs prior to boarding". WestJet says that action is in line with federal transport regulations.

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"We stand by our crew's decisions and believe that what we have offered to this guest is reasonable under the circumstances," the airline said in a statement to BBC.

The family, who had booked an all-inclusive vacation in Cuba, were told by WestJet they could take the next flight the following week, putting the rest of their package in jeopardy.

Instead, they booked a flight with another airline, paying some C$2,000 ($1,525; £1,175) for the new tickets and for a hotel in Toronto. They also lost two days off the family vacation.

"It threw a massive wrench into the happiness [of the trip]," he told the BBC.

Mr Bennett says he wants compensation from the airline and an explanation as to why he was kept off the flight despite medical professionals saying he was able to fly.

 

[CanadaEH]

2 hours ago, Malcolm said:

Do other Canadian Vacation Airlines charge this also?

WestJet Vacations now charging fee for first checked bags

 

 

 

 

inShare

 

 

Friday, November 2, 2018

Posted by Travelweek Group

CALGARY — Starting Nov. 2, WestJet will be introducing a new WestJet Vacations (WVI) fee for first bags to all international Sun destinations for guests travelling on or after Dec. 3, 2018.

Ranging in price from $30-$35.40, the fee is consistent with the charges on first bag on U.S. and Canada WVI packages.

In an official statement, the company said that “changing our bag fees will offset higher costs in today’s challenging and competitive market, while continuing to offer competitive pricing for our guests.”

Guests wishing to avoid this new fee can choose to upgrade to Premium fare and take advantage of WestJet’s Rewards program. Those travelling with the WestJet RBC Mastercard also get the first checked bag free for the primary cardholder and up to eight additional guests on the same reservation.

You make a point of posting completely unrelated articles in topics they don't belong. Why is that? What does this have to do with ANYTHING in this conversation?

[CanadaEH]

5 hours ago, J.O. said:

If being asleep before takeoff was grounds for removal, I should have been punted off at least a third of my trips as a passenger - including those I've done on WestJet. 

Articles on airlines are always taken with a grain of salt when they're critical of an airline (usually). 

This is no different - we see/read one side of the story. I'm with Maverick, the title of the thread and the suggestion is uncalled for. 

[Kip Powick]

uahh Malcolm............"circling"???? only one is standing and he/she is attending to her calf....

                                                        

[thor]

If the passenger was sitting in the window seat of an emergency exit then it’s a TC requirement that the passenger be awake for take off and landing.