Former NHL player slams Toronto Pearson, Air Canada in video after chaotic night stuck at airport
A former NHL player stuck at Toronto Pearson Airport due to delays is critiquing the facility, along with Air Canada, in a video uploaded to social media Monday.
Ryan Whitney, former professional hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins, was attempting to travel from Edmonton, Alta. to Boston, Mass. on Sunday when he encountered a series of delays that would see him stuck at the airport until Monday morning.
“I don’t even really know where to explain,” the former NHL player said in a video uploaded to his Twitter account that has since amassed nearly 800,000 views in four hours.
He says he landed in Toronto around 3 p.m. Sunday and spent three hours in line to get through customs, only to find his connecting flight to Boston had been cancelled.
“At this point now, I go and see that there’s about a 400-person line with about two Air Canada workers,” Whitney said. “There [were] a million cancelled flights and everyone was just panicking.”
After waiting in that line for nearly six hours, hoping for assistance, Whitney said Air Canada closed the counter and told the remaining customers to seek help elsewhere.
So, Whitney said he decided to re-enter the Canadian section of the airport, meaning he had to once again go through customs - this time, Canadian.
“By the time I finally speak to someone from Air Canada, it’s 1 a.m.,” Whitney said. At this point, he says he asked for his luggage back as he was considering driving across the Canada-USA border to Buffalo, and catching a flight to Boston once there. He said Air Canada did not allow him to retrieve his bags.
Instead, he said they booked him on a new flight, scheduled to leave from Toronto at 8 a.m. to Boston.
After arriving nearly four hours early for his re-scheduled flight, Whitney says Air Canada told him they had actually booked him a ticket on a different flight – from Toronto to Montreal, where he would connect to Boston.
The problem? Whitney said he wasn’t informed of that change ahead of time and the flight was scheduled to leave in 50 minutes. As he had just arrived at the airport, expecting to fly in four hours time, he would not clear security in time to make his Montreal flight.
“I started laughing,” he said. “It was either that or cry.”
At the time Whitney uploaded the video, he said his departure had been again delayed. This time, until 10 a.m.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Air Canada told CTV News Toronto that "long processing times at airports and other restrictions have resulted in flight delays and in some instances cancellations and these can have knock-on effects not only for our customers but can also impact our employee resources and operations."
"These factors, along with an issue with the airport’s baggage system Sunday, are what caused Mr. Whitney’s original flight to be cancelled (he was rebooked and flew today)," they said.
"We regret the inconvenience these issues are causing some customers and we are working hard with our third-party partners to improve the situation as quickly as possible."
Delays and long waits have been reported at Toronto Pearson since late April, with the airport attributing them to staffing issues.
Last month, the chief operating officer of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA), Craig Bradbrook, told CP24 the delays could become “unsustainable” as we move into the summer season, as the authority predicts to see approximately 45,000 international arrivals a day during this time.
“I’m so in shock at this place,” Whitney said in his video. “It is the biggest disgrace known to man.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
Sherpa guide Kami Rita scales Mount Everest for 29th time, extending his own record again
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
Balancing act: Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO juggles Arctic airline challenges
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.