Originally Posted by
kwflyer
It shouldn't be a surprise that if you want to leave the transborder terminal you have to go through and clear Canadian customs - most officers are aware this happens if you explain to them this.
What I found interesting is why did they have to re clear US customs if they were put on a later flight. They should have been allowed to stay in the transborder terminal until their next flight.
Airport arrivals are arranged to keep arriving and departing Int'l/US passengers separate, and both US and Canadian officials are, AFAIK, very particular about that, so I suspect that AC was not going to deviate without permission, hence the stupid problem.
But it continues to amaze me that one likely inexperienced passenger can contact the media and spin an inconvenient but not unusual situation into a big story.