Some customers upset life vests taken off Jazz flights
Last Updated: Friday, August 29, 2008 | 3:15 PM AT
CBC News
Some travellers at the Charlottetown airport are upset Air Canada Jazz did not tell customers about the removal of life vests from its planes.
Carmel Roberts said the airline should have told customers, for their safety.
"I was not aware of that at all. They didn't tell us. We do fly over water to get here."
The airline cut the life vests, except for infant ones, from all 137 of its planes in June to save money on fuel. Each vest weighs less than half a kilogram.
Transport Canada approved the change because there will still be floatable seat cushions on board. Only one kind of floatation device is required for flights above a body of water that's less than 90 kilometres in length, which includes flights out of P.E.I.
Karine Chicoine who recently took an Air Canada Jazz flight to Charlottetown wasn't aware of the changes.
She said next time she plans to fly to Charlottetown on a bigger plane.
"They should have said something. [It's] strange," she said.
But Clint Buttnor said he's fine with the change, because it was approved by Transport Canada.
"I'm sure they run their own studies, and risk assessment," he said.
Air Canada Jazz did not send out a news release or notify passengers of the change, and they declined CBC's request for an interview.
