An Air Transat passenger said he was forced to pay $5,000 out of pocket because he was “completely abandoned” by the airline after he passed out and was denied a flight to Toronto.
Shaun Mehta said he started feeling sick while boarding a flight in Barcelona bound for Toronto on July 10.
“The final passengers were still boarding when I was overcome with dizziness and nausea. I passed out in my seat,” Mehta told CTV News Toronto.
Flight attendants, along with a passenger who was a doctor, surrounded Mehta and gave him oxygen, which he said helped a lot.
Spanish paramedics then came aboard and performed vital tests on him, which Mehta said he passed and he was cleared to fly. He speculated that the episode was related to the vertigo of leaving the cruise ship where he spent his vacation.
In Mehta’s medical report, obtained by CTV News Toronto, paramedics noted his breathing was “normal” and “voluntary discharge” in their conclusion, describing his symptoms as “moderate.”
“At that point I just wanted to go home,” he said.
But then a flight attendant approached him and told him that the pilot was uncomfortable flying with him on board.
“They said if you don’t leave, we will escort you off the plane,” Mehta said.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Air Transat said information about the passenger’s symptoms was transferred to MedAire, a company specializing in medical and travel support.
“After analyzing the situation and discussing with the captain, MedAire considered that the passenger should not travel. Paramedics arrived shortly afterwards and took over the patient’s care,” the Air spokeswoman said Transat, Marie-Christine Pouliot.
“Passengers who are refused boarding on medical grounds should contact their travel insurance provider to cover any accommodation or travel costs.”
As Mehta looked forward to getting home, he said he was assured by Air Transat crew members that he would be taken care of. He kissed his 12-year-old daughter goodbye, dropped her off at her grandparents and got off the plane with his wife.
“I was hoping that an Air Transat representative would find us another flight, re-evaluate me medically and take care of our food and accommodation needs, if needed,” Mehta said.
“None of that happened.”
Instead, an airport employee escorted them to a taxi stand, which confused Mehta and his wife. They had nowhere to go.
After expressing this to the escort, they were taken to a kiosk with various airline logos. There, they were given a card with an Air Transat phone number for its headquarters in Montreal.
“It’s Sunday morning in Montreal, nobody’s going to answer,” he said. As they expected, they couldn’t reach anyone.
“We had been completely abandoned by Air Transat,” he said.
Desperate after hours of hitting a wall, they said they called their travel agent. The next Air Transat flight to Toronto wasn’t for days, so he booked them on an Air Canada flight the next morning along with a hotel for the night. The total cost of the last minute purchases was $5,000.
Since then, Mehta says he has not received any communication from the airline.
According to Air Transat’s website, if a passenger is denied boarding for reasons within the airline’s control, including security reasons, Air Transat will provide food and beverage, media access, hotel accommodation and free ground transportation.
“The moment I was removed from the flight, Air Transat didn’t seem to exist or care. I’ve never felt so insignificant.”