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AC owes Oakville family $70,000 for passenger rights violation

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AC owes Oakville family $70,000 for passenger rights violation

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Old Sep 7, 2018, 4:52 pm
  #31  
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Originally Posted by j2simpso


It's a known fact that airlines don't always offload bags when a pax doesn't show up. Case in point, the lost bag which has to get routed on several flights to be reunited with the owner.

-James
They booted these people off at night. They owed them their luggage.
The whole incident reeks of reprisal for causing a difficulty. And maybe for not being deferential enough to the cabin crew.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 5:07 pm
  #32  
 
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I am sure AC did not even bother to show up at court.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 6:08 pm
  #33  
 
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Was the plane still at the gate with the door open when the retching and subsequent offloading occured? Or was the door shut ?
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 6:22 pm
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by Often1
India may have been late to ratifying the Montreal Convention (2009), but it ratified. This judgment is a gone. The Convention exists to protect a critical part of the worldwide economy from petty local squabbles. It is what the Convention refers to as a "purely psychiatric" injury and thus, at worst the family gets whatever IDB gets you in India or perhaps Canada.
Nope. read the basis of the award.
This was a rather brutal case as the commissioners found the conduct of some of the airline personnel cruel and deficient.
The implicated crew were found to have bullied/humiliated etc. a minor. Compounding the issue was that the family was abandoned at the airport with no luggage, and no assistance. I think part of the issue was how Air Canada handled this matter after the family was tossed. Perhaps the decision is contrary to the Montreal Convention. However, the Commission addressed that when it stated that the airline's deficient acts of service were a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sorry to say, but that's a rather smart way around the Montreal Convention. An agreement to limit civil liability cannot put aside an international agreement on basic human rights.
Besides, the Air Canada defense did not rely on the Montreal Convention

Originally Posted by rickg523
They booted these people off at night. They owed them their luggage. The whole incident reeks of reprisal for causing a difficulty. And maybe for not being deferential enough to the cabin crew.
Bingo. You are one of the few who get's it. That's what the commissioners saw, and that's what I believe happened. Nonsuprisingly,
it seems that none of the forum super elites understood that salient point.
Originally Posted by davistev
I am sure AC did not even bother to show up at court.
Apparently counsel was present and the legal defense was part of the reason why the commission decided against Air Canada. Counsel argued that because Jet Airways received the airfare, there was no contract of carriage between the plaintiffs and Air Canada. That argument was rightfully dismissed. Laughable too. (I suspect some articling student was used. )

BTW, I don't know where the $75,000 comes from. Jet Airways and Air Canada were found jointly and severally liable for 3,500,000 rupees which is about $65,000 or $32,000 each. It's Jet Airways that should be complaining since it is being held vicariously liable for the actions of Air Canada.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 6:30 pm
  #35  
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Retired judges obviously have too much time on their hands.

http://cms.nic.in/ncdrcusersWeb/GetPdf.do?method=getPdf&cid=12%2F0%2FCC%2F820%2F20 17&dtOfHearing=2018-07-23

Makes for fun reading.

A few points:

1. The judge denies airlines the right to deplane sick passengers without more careful screening. One would hope that does not stand.

2. Guess what, they invoke racism without a shred of evidence beyond them being non-white. The AC statement in the respect sounds reasonable to me.

3. On the other hand they should have been dealt with better after they deplaned.

I cannot imagine that ruling with stand in appeal.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 7:02 pm
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by canadiancow
If I saw someone throw up before a 14 hour flight, I wouldn't want them on board. And given what happened the other day with EK in NYC, I don't think the airline or government would want them on board either.

II haven't read the article, but clearly the humiliation must have been severe.

The last thing I'd want if I'm sick is to be humiliated for it. I threw up on a flight within the past year. Everyone around already knows it's happening. I don't need the crew to rub it in.
Originally Posted by songsc
I totally agree that medical reason is sufficient to remove some passengers from the flight, as the EK incident at JFK mentioned above (and all those zombie movies :P ). However it's very often that the cabin crew did not handle these situations properly, or the rebooking process is less than satisfactory.
I have thrown up in a plane before having eaten something disagreeable and then getting up at 5.30 am to go to the flight left me feeling unwell. I managed to complete the journey OK. Kid are often afflicted with nausea in stressful situations. Are you suggesting every time someone vomits on a flight they plane should be diverted. Are FAs qualified to medically assess passengers as being fit to fly? I was once in a plane when a kid vomited and the mother went out in sympathy and it wasnt even turbulent. I suffer from motion sickness should I be banned from flying?
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 7:33 pm
  #37  
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Originally Posted by whimike
I fully agree with you that Post B has every right to state that in his opinion Post A is ridiculous. But, that isn't what happened. Post A stated his opinion based on his review of the data. Post B stated that the poster in Post A had no right to his opinion unless he was a judge in the court. That it what I am commenting on. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and it doesn't require being a judge in a court to have one.
Thank you. In fact, I read the article in question and posted my own opinion. Quite often when it comes to opinions when one has an opinion that others disagree with, others will quickly judge to dismiss said opinion. (so much for being inclusive!)

I believe someone smarter than me once said (and there are many who are smarter than me). Opinions are like......everyone has one. And quite frankly, there are seldom opinions that are "wrong", but quite often opinions may not be one that others agree with, but that does not make it wrong, at all.
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Old Sep 7, 2018, 7:37 pm
  #38  
 
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Originally Posted by Stranger
Retired judges obviously have too much time on their hands.

http://cms.nic.in/ncdrcusersWeb/GetP...ing=2018-07-23

Makes for fun reading.

A few points:

1. The judge denies airlines the right to deplane sick passengers without more careful screening. One would hope that does not stand.

2. Guess what, they invoke racism without a shred of evidence beyond them being non-white. The AC statement in the respect sounds reasonable to me.

3. On the other hand they should have been dealt with better after they deplaned.

I cannot imagine that ruling with stand in appeal.
Sorry, could not open your attachment so I do not know where you are getting point 2 from. There have been some cases (true or not) reported in the Indian media and I suspect some sensitivity around this subject.
For point 1, seems like AC deplaned the passenger because they assumed sickness because she threw up. What the ruling said was that AC threw them off without even ascertaining that she was sick. As they said, she threw up from the noxious smell from the closed washroom. Berating the kid and family was extra.
Point 3, I think we all agree. This was likely the biggest catalyst for the harsh amount awarded.
Poor Jet Airways, caught in the crossfire.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 8:32 am
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by longtimeflyin
I hope Air Canada contests and gets the court to overturn this verdict. On the basis of what I read, it's ridiculous the Justice ruled in the manner he/she did.
On the basis what is in the article, the ruling of the compensation is justified and the amount is insufficient. This opinion is based on putting my self in the same situation as the family. The stench could (and did in a different circumstance) cause me to have an involuntary spasmic movements without being ill prior to boarding. The cause of the event is squarely on AC, as reported.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 11:06 am
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Transpacificflyer
Nope. read the basis of the award.
This was a rather brutal case as the commissioners found the conduct of some of the airline personnel cruel and deficient.
The implicated crew were found to have bullied/humiliated etc. a minor. Compounding the issue was that the family was abandoned at the airport with no luggage, and no assistance. I think part of the issue was how Air Canada handled this matter after the family was tossed. Perhaps the decision is contrary to the Montreal Convention. However, the Commission addressed that when it stated that the airline's deficient acts of service were a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sorry to say, but that's a rather smart way around the Montreal Convention. An agreement to limit civil liability cannot put aside an international agreement on basic human rights.
Besides, the Air Canada defense did not rely on the Montreal Convention



Bingo. You are one of the few who get's it. That's what the commissioners saw, and that's what I believe happened. Nonsuprisingly,
it seems that none of the forum super elites understood that salient point.
Apparently counsel was present and the legal defense was part of the reason why the commission decided against Air Canada. Counsel argued that because Jet Airways received the airfare, there was no contract of carriage between the plaintiffs and Air Canada. That argument was rightfully dismissed. Laughable too. (I suspect some articling student was used. )

BTW, I don't know where the $75,000 comes from. Jet Airways and Air Canada were found jointly and severally liable for 3,500,000 rupees which is about $65,000 or $32,000 each. It's Jet Airways that should be complaining since it is being held vicariously liable for the actions of Air Canada.
The Montreal Convention is a treaty obligation of the nation state of India. Period. It is not a defense before local tribunals, simply an obligation of the government. How India deals with its internal consumer authorities is none of AC's concern.

The UDHR is asserted routinely. It too is simply a treaty obligation of India.

All of this also protects AI aircraft from the sticky fingers of local jurisdictions where it flies.

Last edited by Often1; Sep 8, 2018 at 11:14 am
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 12:33 pm
  #41  
 
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Originally Posted by 1Newflyer
On the basis what is in the article, the ruling of the compensation is justified and the amount is insufficient. This opinion is based on putting my self in the same situation as the family. The stench could (and did in a different circumstance) cause me to have an involuntary spasmic movements without being ill prior to boarding. The cause of the event is squarely on AC, as reported.
So if a "stench" from a public lavatory on a plane or elsewhere causes one to retch, one should be awarded over $70,000 in your opinion? Fascinating.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 1:10 pm
  #42  
 
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Originally Posted by mapleg
So if a "stench" from a public lavatory on a plane or elsewhere causes one to retch, one should be awarded over $70,000 in your opinion? Fascinating.
If my doing causes you to retch on my premises and I then humiliate you publicly, kicking you off the premises, preventing you from getting to the destination you paid for; you for sure will thank me for it and smile. ^

Last edited by tcook052; Sep 8, 2018 at 8:39 pm
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 4:06 pm
  #43  
 
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Originally Posted by 1Newflyer
If my doing causes you to retch on my premises and I then humiliate you publicly, kicking you off the premises, preventing you from getting to the destination you paid for; you for sure will thank me for it and smile. ^
No I won't. I don't view life as some kind of "get as much as you can" out of every inconvenience. Some do, but not me.

Last edited by tcook052; Sep 8, 2018 at 8:39 pm
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 5:36 pm
  #44  
 
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I am still thinking about the AC crew berating a child.

I have witnessed AC crew screaming at adults in English, while departing a non-English destination, and that was only about carry-on bag issues. I can only imagine what happened with this crew, when they realized there was vomit to clean-up at the start of a long-haul flight.

Perhaps I am wrong.
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Old Sep 8, 2018, 6:43 pm
  #45  
 
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The vomiter was a child. Children should be forgiven for not having cultivated the ability to tolerate fetid odours without retching. An inclination to vomit can be aggravated by motion sickness (perhaps still feeling a previous flight segment, or the car ride to the airport), seeing others retching, smelling odours reminiscent or suggestive of others retching, and general "stomach awareness" such as on a roller coaster (where it is not typical motion sickness but feeling the acceleration on the stomach contents) or even having an over-full stomach from a recent meal. I had the latter recently when I mis-timed my last meal before a long run. It was all I could do, as a seasoned adult, not to vomit in the bushes, but it was a race, and there were reasons why I had to stick it out. I thought of nothing else for the first 8K. I can only imagine if I had been just 11 years old and situated next to inescapably objectionable odour.
The monetary award is not compensation for being forced to vomit. It is compensation for being deliberately humiliated and unilaterally "reaccommodated" with insufficient emphasis on the "accommodation" part. Within the scope of the Montreal convention, the conclusion makes sense to me.
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