'We felt like hostages': Passengers on delayed Vancouver-Toronto flight
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 | 9:09 AM ET
CBC News
Passengers on Air Canada Flight 156 from Vancouver to Toronto say they felt "like hostages" after their plane sat on the tarmac in Vancouver for more than 12 hours.
The plane finally arrived Tuesday night at Toronto's Pearson airport almost 24 hours behind schedule.
Air Canada explained that a combination of factors — weather, fuel and crew issues — all added to the delay.
But according to passenger Jae Valentine, "We felt like hostages."
"They told us we could not leave the plane if we had baggage on it," she said.
Valentine said she has had many awful experiences while travelling but this was by far the worst.
"Every time something came over the intercom we just didn't believe it. 'Cause they'd say, 'Oh, we're going to be going in five minutes. Oh, we're going to be going in 35 minutes.' It just didn't happen. It was like another hour, another two hours, and we never got communication to tell us what was happening," she said.
Most of the passengers had checked baggage and were told to stay on the plane.
Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said the airline believed that option was better than having the passengers sleeping in the terminal.
"We felt that giving choice to our passengers and allowing them to spend the time during the delay on the plane, where they could watch movies and be served meals and refreshments, was better than leaving them in the terminal," said Arthur.
But passenger Pina Belparsi said that isn't exactly how it played out inside the aircraft.
Belparsi said the air in the plane was stifling, food and water were rationed, and worst of all, people didn't know when they would get off the ground.
"It's over and over the same thing and no apologies," she said.
Belparsi said people should have been able to get off the plane and get a hotel room.
According to Valentine it wasn't all horrible. Some of the passengers got into the holiday spirit.
"We laughed and joked a lot and we shared things — I had snacks in my bag — and so I shared the snacks that I did have."
Air Canada is offering passengers on Flight 156 a $500 voucher, but some passengers said this was the last time the airline would get their business.
