Men kicked off plane for asking 'unusual' questions
Last Updated: Friday, January 8, 2010 | 10:26 PM ET
The Canadian Press
Nine men were ordered off a Sunwing aircraft destined for Cuba earlier this week after asking a flight attendant unusual questions about the security equipment on the plane.
The men, onboard a flight from Toronto to Holguin, Cuba, were taken off the plane Tuesday before the aircraft ever left Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
A spokeswoman for Sunwing Aircraft said the men were asking "most unusual" questions as the plane taxied to the runway.
Martha Chapman said after the flight attendant consulted with the senior captain, the airline's head of security advised the crew to return to the gate and have the passengers deplaned.
The plane taxied back, where the men were met by Peel Regional Police and the Canadian Border Services Agency.
Their bags were taken off the plane and the aircraft took off an hour and forty minutes late.
The airline hasn’t said what questions were asked, other than to say they were regarding the plane's onboard security equipment and were "very specific" and "most unusual."
"In today's atmosphere of heightened security, I think that most airlines would be considered doing the wise thing if they were to deplane passengers that were asking these specific questions,” Chapman said.
The airline refunded the cost of their tickets.
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