On Tuesday, Air Canada apologized to two passengers who were escorted off the plane by security after they complained that their seats were dirty and still damp.

In a statement sent to The Canadian Press, the airline acknowledged that customers did not receive the quality of service to which they were entitled before the flight between Las Vegas and Montreal departed on August 26. Air Canada also said it is reviewing the matter internally and is in contact with passengers.

In a Facebook post that went viral, Susan Benson of New Brunswick said she was in line behind the two women when she “smelled a slight foul smell, but we didn’t notice it.” She immediately knew where the problem was.

“They put ground coffee in the seat pocket and sprayed perfume to cover the smell,” she wrote in her Aug. 29 text.

“When the passengers, visibly upset, attempted to explain to the flight attendant that the seat and belt were wet and that there was still visible vomit in their area, the flight attendant said: “Air was very sorry, but explained that the flight… “It was crowded and there was nothing to do,” Ms. Benson said.

After speaking with cabin crew, the two women asked for blankets and cloths to clean the area themselves before a pilot intervened.

The latter is said to have told the two passengers that they could either leave the plane voluntarily or be escorted by security and placed on a no-fly list for their rude behavior, a designation Ms Benson rejects.

“They were angry and assertive, but not rude,” she says.

John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, believes the plane should never have been used given what he calls a “biological risk.”

Duncan Dee, Air Canada’s former chief operating officer, said the outcry over the incident on social media reflects the deterioration in Canadians’ perceived levels of service after a year marked by frequent flight delays and lost luggage.

“I think travelers can relate to the experiences of these two Las Vegas travelers because they feel like their travel has been disrupted to a much greater extent than before (the pandemic),” he believes.

Photos of long lines and frustrated messages from passengers at Toronto’s Pearson Airport made the rounds on social media over the summer. But the chaos of crowded terminals and baggage-clogged arrivals that characterized the 2022 travel season was absent, thanks in part to better-prepared players as well as fully-staffed security and contractors.

Still, Air Canada ranked last among North America’s 10 largest airlines in terms of on-time performance, according to a recent report in July. Canada’s largest airline flew 51 per cent of its flights on time this month, according to figures from aviation data firm Cirium.

“Last summer, the three Canadian airports were at the top of the cancellation list worldwide. There have been significant delays this summer due to air traffic control,” Mr Dee said.

Removable seats

Regarding the recent incident, he added: “These seat cushions are removable.”

Most airlines use external cleaners who clean seats and aisles between flights and have access to spare cushions to replace soiled cushions “in a relatively short space of time”, says Mr Dee.

“There are small children, toddlers and even adults who suffer certain accidents (…) It doesn’t happen on every flight, but it certainly happens every day,” he continues.

Tight schedules and flight delays that shorten turnaround times can increase pressure on crews to get back in the air as quickly as possible, experts say.

Last month’s incident was not the first this summer involving seats and bodily fluids.

On June 30, a passenger on an Air France flight from Paris to Toronto reported sitting among the uncleaned remains of a previous passenger’s hemorrhage, prompting the Public Health Agency of Canada to launch an investigation.

Regarding the recent incident, the federal agency said it may conduct an inspection and as a last resort if a complaint is found to be related to a communicable disease “and the operator has not complied with the requirements of the quarantine.” impose a fine on the operator