Air Transat passenger out $5,000 after being 'utterly abandoned' and denied flight for fainting
An Air Transat passenger said he was forced to pay $5,000 out of pocket because he was “utterly abandoned” by the airline after he fainted and was denied taking a flight home to Toronto.
Shaun Mehta said he began to feel unwell as he was boarding a flight in Barcelona set for Toronto on July 10.
“The final passengers were still being boarded when I was overcome by dizziness and nausea. I passed out in my seat,” Mehta told CTV News Toronto.
Flight attendants, along with a passenger who was a doctor, surrounded Mehta and gave him oxygen, which he said significantly helped.
Spanish paramedics then came onboard and tested his vitals, which Mehta said he passed and was cleared to fly. He speculated the episode was related to vertigo from leaving the cruise ship he spent his vacation on.
In Mehta’s medical report, obtained by CTV News Toronto, paramedics checked off “normal” for his breathing and “voluntary discharge” in their conclusion, describing his symptoms as “moderate.”
“I just wanted to get home at that point,” he said.
But then, Mehta said a flight attendant approached him and said the pilot was uncomfortable flying with him onboard.
“They said, 'If you don't leave we will escort you off the plane,'” Mehta said.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Air Transat said that information regarding the passenger’s symptoms was transferred to MedAire, a company that specializes in medical and travel support.
“After analyzing the situation and discussing with the captain, MedAire deemed the passenger should indeed not travel. The paramedics arrived shortly thereafter and took over the patient’s care,” Air Transat spokesperson Marie-Christine Pouliot said.
“Passengers who are denied boarding for medical reasons must contact their travel insurance provider to cover any accommodation or travel costs.”
While Mehta was eager to get home, he said the Air Transat crew members assured him that he would be taken care of. He kissed his 12-year-old daughter goodbye, left her with her grandparents, and exited the plane with his wife.
“I expected an Air Transat representative to find us another flight, re-assess me medically, and take care of our food and accommodations needs, if necessary,” Mehta said.
“None of this happened.”
Instead, they were escorted to a taxi stand by an airport employee, which confused Mehta and his wife a they had nowhere to go.
After expressing this to the escort, Mehta said they were taken to a kiosk with various airline logos. There, they were handed a card with an Air Transat phone number for their headquarters in Montreal.
“It’s Sunday morning in Montreal, no one is going to answer,” he said. As expected, he said they were unable to reach anyone.
“We had been utterly abandoned by Air Transat,” he said.
Desperate to get home, Mehta said they called their travel agent. The next Air Transat flight to Toronto wasn’t for days, so the agent booked them on an Air Canada flight the following morning, along with a hotel for the night. The total cost of the last-minute purchases was $5,000.
Since then, Mehta says he has received no communication from Air Transat.
“The moment I was removed from the flight, I didn’t seem to exist or matter to Air Transat. I have never felt so insignificant,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.