Originally Posted by
Stranger
So now we have a clearer picture. Mask issues, plus some folks spelled in error.
Most of the noise (Brit tabloids) likely comes from the former. No sympathy there.
As to those expelled in error, yes they qualify for an apology. But if you put this in the context of a plane waiting for departure, I would argue that we should not blame the crew too much, easy to make a mistake in the context of a very stressful situation. I look at this from the perspective of another passenger on board, possibly with a tight connection. Yes, mistakes can be made, but at the end of the day, the interest of the many has to prime over the folks who misbehave. And crews cannot be expected to be perfect.
Now it is AC's job to make sure the folks who were expelled in error are satisfactorily dealt with. Not us, not the media. These folks. We don't know that AC did not.
Two issues with this “it was the masks” hypothesis.
- Given that AC has long tried to offset its sub-par products/customer service with its self-proclaimed emphasis on “safety”, I expect AC flight crews to be pretty damn close to perfect. I’m not sure that I want two guys sitting up front making decisions without having - and understanding - all the information presented to them - or simply not asking the right questions. It’s a sign of bad judgment - not something you want from a pilot. For this reason alone, I’m inclined to believe it was a W&B issue. I don’t think any AC captain would toss 20 people off - evidently without their cabin baggage - unless some extraneous (non-safety related) pressure forced them to do so.
- How is AC going to make this right? Do they have CCTVs in there? If not, are they going to conduct an inquiry and question witnesses (aka pax not booted off)? Are other passengers amenable to this? Have they contacted them? Or are they just going to check with the cabin crew - who, by your own admission, made mistakes. Can we trust them to now correctly identify who they “mistakenly” removed? And more to the point, do we even know if they booted the real offenders at all? It’s a nice simplism, but it’s like asking an alleged offender to draw a conclusion on whether or not he/she did anything wrong. Short of a court case (or AC contacting witnesses and releasing witness statements), can’t see how we can get an objective take on this. And how anyone can be compensated - at least without everyone being compensated.