Air Canada apologizes after passengers told to sit in vomit-covered seats

Air Canada has expressed regret for the incident in which two travelers were instructed to occupy inadequately sanitized seats that had been contaminated with vomit on a prior journey.

Susan Benson, a passenger on a flight from Las Vegas to Montreal on August 26, shared the account of the incident online.

"In the beginning, we noticed an unpleasant odor but were unsure of its source. It later came to our attention that during the prior flight, an individual had regurgitated in the vicinity. Air Canada made an effort to swiftly tidy up before allowing boarding, but it was evident that they hadn't fully addressed the issue," Benson shared in a Facebook post on August 29.

"They deposited coffee grounds in the pouch attached to the seat and utilized fragrance to conceal the odor. When the noticeably distressed passengers attempted to describe to the flight attendant that their seat and seatbelt were damp and there were still noticeable remnants of vomit in their vicinity, the flight attendant showed sincere remorse but clarified that the flight was completely booked and there was no solution available," she included.

According to Benson's account, the individuals aboard the plane engaged in a prolonged exchange of arguments for a few minutes. Eventually, a superior intervened and restated that due to the flight being completely occupied, the passengers had no choice but to remain seated in the seats that were unfortunately contaminated with vomit.

Benson proceeds to explain how a pilot subsequently descended from the aircraft to address the passengers, informing them that they had the option to depart the plane and arrange their own flights at their own expense. Alternatively, if they chose to remain onboard, they would be escorted off the plane by security personnel and added to a list preventing them from flying in the future!

The rationale given was that they had displayed poor manners towards the flight attendant, but Benson contradicts this claim.

"They were definitely not! They were distressed and resolute, yet not impolite!" she penned.

Despite the attempt of another traveler to clarify the circumstances, security personnel subsequently accompanied the duo off the aircraft.

"Why should I? Just because I don't want to endure five long hours sitting in vomit!" expressed Benson, who claimed that the airline actually anticipates its passengers to tolerate sitting in a mess or face being forced off the plane and banned from flying again!

She subsequently admitted that she had no knowledge as to whether the passengers were actually added to a list preventing them from flying.

I feel great embarrassment being a Canadian and really disappointed with Air Canada," she expressed. "Air Canada, you should be extremely ashamed! A deep sense of shame lies upon you!"

CNN has reached out to Benson for additional feedback.

As per the information shared with CNN, Air Canada has expressed remorse and offered an apology to the customers for not meeting their expected level of service.

"We are currently assessing this significant issue internally and have personally contacted the customers involved, as our established protocols were not executed properly on this occasion," the announcement persisted.

"We are staying in touch with them regarding this issue," the airline included.

This is not the initial occurrence concerning physical liquids on aircrafts within the past few months.

In the month of June, Habib Battah embarked on a flight from Paris to Toronto with Air France. However, soon after the plane took off, he became aware of an unusual odor emanating from the space beneath his seat and his wife's.

"He mentioned to CNN that it had a distinct odor of animal excrement."

Afterward, Battah observed a moist mark on the ground. The employees handed him cleansing cloths, and as he utilized them to scrub the spot, they continuously changed their color to red.

One of the cabin crew members relayed the information to her colleagues, while the pilot contacted Paris via radio to inquire about the unknown mark beneath seats 30A and 30B.

Air France headquarters received an update: The substance identified was actual human blood. The day before, a traveler had experienced an incident characterized by the crew as a "hemorrhage," as Battah explained.

Three days after his trip, Battah received a phone call from Air France notifying him that the blood sample had been contaminated with excrement.

CNN was informed by Air France that they "comprehend and feel remorse for the inconvenience brought about by this circumstance" and that they were communicating with Battah.