Crew from this airline keeps mysteriously disappearing during Toronto layover

[Airband]

The 'Toronto Trapezoid' ?

Crew from this airline keeps mysteriously disappearing during Toronto layover

At least eight crew members have disappeared over the last two years, with a spokesperson blaming Canada's 'liberal asylum' policies

A Pakistan International Airlines flight prepares to land at Toronto Pearson International Airport

Wed Dec 06, 2023 - National Post
by Chris Knight

Quote

'It set an age limit for flight attendants on Canadian and European routes, requiring them to be 50 or older, presumably on the assumption that younger people might be more likely to stray.'

The headline speaks volumes: “Another PIA crew member vanishes in Canada.” For years now, numerous flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have been taking care of passengers on flights from Lahore or Islamabad to Toronto, but not on the return trip. Instead, they deplane at Pearson and are never heard from again.

In the latest incident, aviation news site Simple Flying reports that a flight attendant named Ayaz arrived several days ago from Lahore on flight PK-784.

“On its scheduled return to Islamabad, the steward did not show up in Toronto,” the site said, quoting sources familiar with the matter. “The flight of the national flag carrier had to return to Islamabad without the crew member.”

It’s been less than a month since the last reported incident. On Nov. 13, Pakistan-based Ary News reported that two flight attendants had “slipped away” after arriving on flight PK-772 from Islamabad to Toronto. Crew members named Khalid and Fida did not show up for their return flight.

Similar cases involved crew named Muntazir in July, and Ijaz and Ramzan, both in October 2022. In all, there have been at least eight missing crew over the past two years, but other disappearances go back to at least 2018. The pattern is the same: the crew member leaves the plane with his or her colleagues but fails to show up for their scheduled return flight. Police and immigration officials are notified, and a PIA spokesperson confirms the incident and says they have contacted authorities and are investigating.

The problem is not unique to Toronto. An April 2019 report notes a crew member named Shazia who vanished after a Lahore-to-Paris flight. Sources said she had left a letter of resignation in her hotel room, although the airline disputed that.

Last month the airline announced it was implementing stricter measures to keep track of its employees on flights to Canada and Europe. It set an age limit for flight attendants on those routes, requiring them to be 50 or older, presumably on the assumption that younger people might be more likely to stray. It is also expected to require more frequent check-ins and better communications from staff members during layovers.

Pakistan International Airlines has seen its share of troubles recently. In August it was reportedly unable to pay its employees and also had to ground several aircraft and cut some routes due to unpaid bills. This was in the same month that employees announced a two-hour “token strike” over plans to privatize the airline, as well as a lack of salary increases.

The airline also had a crash in 2020 that killed all but two of the passengers and crew aboard one of its Airbus A320 craft, as well as killing one person and injuring seven others on the ground.

On Sunday, airline spokesman Abdullah H. Khan tried to put a brave face on the company’s troubles while also touting the benefits of privatization, in an editorial written for Pakistan’s News on Sunday.

Under the headline: “A legacy of resilience: PIA’s history as a national institution is the key to its future,” he recalled its history as a beacon of national pride and called it “a reliable companion in times of joy and a steady support in times of adversity.”

Recalling its role in providing humanitarian aid and repatriating Pakistanis stranded abroad, he noted: “It is crucial to reflect upon the airline’s enduring legacy and the indispensable role it has played in the nation’s history as well as what lies ahead.”

But Khan has also been willing to point fingers, telling the website Arab News last month: “The reason for this is overly liberal asylum and asylum program by the Canadian government.”

He added that there were repercussions for anyone jumping ship. “We normally terminate the services of such individuals and penalize them by denying them of any benefits,” he said.

[Specs]

9 hours ago, Airband said:

But Khan has also been willing to point fingers, telling the website Arab News last month: “The reason for this is overly liberal asylum and asylum program by the Canadian government.”

It's curious that none of the crew who allegedly jumped ship were interviewed for this article just to confirm that that is the explanation..  

[J.O.]

I'm sure it has nothing to do with them wanting to find a life in a country that isn't still trapped in the dark ages, especially for women.

[Falken]

Where is the Arrive can app when you need it?

[Specs]

3 hours ago, J.O. said:

I'm sure it has nothing to do with them wanting to find a life in a country that isn't still trapped in the dark ages, especially for women.

You haven't travelled around this country too much then I suspect. 

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Specs

[J.O.]

On 12/8/2023 at 1:48 PM, Specs said:

You haven't travelled around this country too much then I suspect. 

 

I'm not suggesting we don't have issues, but please, I think you'd find there aren't many Canadian women who'd rather grow up in their world than in ours.

[deicer]

2 hours ago, J.O. said:

I'm not suggesting we don't have issues, but please, I think you'd find there aren't many Canadian women who'd rather grow up in their world than in ours.

You don't see many running away to any of the 'Stans' do you?

[W5]

5 hours ago, deicer said:

You don't see many running away to any of the 'Stans' do you?

Canuckistan?

[Falken]

W5 - I really should not laugh as looks like we are heading that way!

[Kip Powick]

 

From the Bleachers

 

I have had, in my opinion,  the  greatest careers of my life courtesy aviation, both Mil and the Airline Industry. Often when initiating conversations with people that I have never met before, it always gets around to .......

"What do you do ?"

"I'm  retired."

Oh, lucky you. What did you retire from?"

I was a Directional Consultant For High Speed Aluminum and Plastic Tubing"

Normally, the questioner will not persue the topic, perhaps in fear of not really knowing what my past profession was and will stroll into another topic. However, for those that ask for an explanation, I merely state that I WAS a pilot and I  hope the converstaion takes a turn. For those that want to delve a bit deeper into my past employment there almost always comes the question........

"Of all the countries you have been in , which would be  your favourite?"

"The land of "round door knobs", and we are presently standing in it"

 

 

[J.O.]

Indeed Kip. IMHO, if someone thinks Canada is even remotely like one of those dreaded "stans", I suggest they actually go try the real thing for a while. We have our issues, but please ...

[Airband]

Yet another Pakistan Airlines flight attendant vanishes during Toronto layover

A uniform and a note reading 'Thank you, PIA,' was all that was found in crew member's hotel room

Thu Feb 29, 2024 - National Post
by Chris Knight

A flight attendant working for Pakistan International Airlines left her uniform and a brief thank-you note to her employer in a Toronto hotel room before disappearing, the website India Today reported this week.

It’s at least the second time this year such an incident has happened, and the tenth time in the last two years.

According to the news site, PIA crew member Maryam Raza arrived in Toronto on a flight from Islamabad on Monday but didn’t report for duty on her return flight to Karachi the next day. A search of her hotel room turned up a note saying “Thank you, PIA,” along with her uniform.

Maryam’s disappearance comes just a month after PIA flight attendant Faiza Mukhtar’s similar disappearance. Mukhtar, who was scheduled to fly back to Karachi a day after landing in Toronto, “did not board the flight and disappeared,” PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan told the website TheMediaLine.

The disappearances are something of an embarrassing trend for the airline, which has been battling financial and credibility losses in recent years.

Last November, Pakistan-based Ary News reported that two flight attendants had “slipped away” after arriving on flight PK-772 from Islamabad to Toronto. Crew members named Khalid and Fida did not show up for their return flight.

Similar cases involved crew named Muntazir in July, and Ijaz and Ramzan, both in October 2022. In all, there have been at least 10 missing crew over the past two years, but other disappearances go back to at least 2018.

The pattern is the same: the crew member leaves the plane with his or her colleagues but fails to show up for the scheduled return flight. Police and immigration officials are notified, and a PIA spokesperson confirms the incident and says they have contacted authorities and are investigating.

Last year the airline announced it was implementing stricter measures to keep track of its employees on flights to Canada and Europe. It set an age limit for flight attendants on those routes, requiring them to be 50 or older, presumably on the assumption that younger people might be more likely to stray. It is also expected to require more frequent check-ins and better communications from staff members during layovers.

Pakistan International Airlines has seen its share of troubles recently. Last August it was reportedly unable to pay its employees, and also had to ground several aircraft and cut some routes due to unpaid bills. This was in the same month that employees announced a two-hour “token strike” over plans to privatize the airline, as well as a lack of salary increases.

The airline also had a crash in 2020 that killed all but two of the passengers and crew aboard one of its Airbus A320 jets, as well as killing one person and injuring seven others on the ground.

[deicer]

Have they looked in Brampton yet?  

[Kip Powick]

The airline also had a crash in 2020 that killed all but two of the passengers and crew aboard one of its Airbus A320 jets, as well as killing one person and injuring seven others on the ground.

It is quite a long read but the final report of the crash was posted on AVHearld on 25 Feb......unbelieveable sequence of events led to the crash.

https://www.avherald.com/

 

[J.O.]

6 hours ago, Kip Powick said:

The airline also had a crash in 2020 that killed all but two of the passengers and crew aboard one of its Airbus A320 jets, as well as killing one person and injuring seven others on the ground.

It is quite a long read but the final report of the crash was posted on AVHearld on 25 Feb......unbelieveable sequence of events led to the crash.

https://www.avherald.com/

 

That report would be more than enough reason to want out of PIA (and the country). The culture of nepotism is brutal.