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
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.