Passenger disputes account of behaviour on diverted Air Canada flight to Fredericton

An Air Canada flight to Fredericton was diverted to Ottawa on Wednesday night because of a passenger's behaviour, the airline said.

But Adrian Edgar said he plans to dispute the airline's actions in court.

Obviously, I posed no threat nor violated any security rule that I know of.- Adrian Edgar, Air Canada passenger

The 35-year-old New Brunswick man said he was escorted off the plane by police and issued a $50 ticket under the Ontario Liquor Licence Act. 

In an email to the CBC, Edgar said this happened after he told a crew member he was disappointed the airline no longer offered complimentary snacks.

In response, the crew member leaned down and whispered, "Listen to me, little boy, it sounds like you're making a disturbance" and threatened to have him removed from the plane, Edgar said.

"I found this response odd, erratic and unprofessional," said Edgar.

"For my own protection, I attempted to turn on my cellphone camera to have some record that I had done nothing more than tell Air Canada they should offer free crackers."

'I posed no threat'

Edgar said the flight attendant "escalated the situation," and the plane landed in Ottawa, where he was ordered off.

"I complied with that demand," Edgar said. "After explanations to security on the ground, I was on the next flight home.

"Obviously, I posed no threat nor violated any security rule that I know of. I was quiet, calm, and not looking for a confrontation."

Air Canada confirmed that a passenger on flight AC8960 had to leave the plane when it reached Ottawa.

The plane left Toronto at 9 p.m. and was supposed to land in Fredericton two hours and five minutes later.

In an emailed statement, Manon Stuart, spokesperson for Air Canada Jazz Aviation, said the airline diverted to Ottawa "due to the behaviour of a passenger."

The airline said it would not comment further on the details of the incident or to what Edgar said.

Refused to follow staff directions

Const. Chuck Benoit with Ottawa police media relations said police were told the passenger was verbally aggressive with staff.

When he refused to follow directions from staff, the captain decided to land the plane in Ottawa, Benoit said.

"There was no mention of physical altercations, just that he was very verbally aggressive with the attendants, not following the rules, and then filming lots of details on the plane," he said.

He added that Edgar first refused to leave the plane, so that the airline's staff asked the other passengers to get off first.

"And then they dealt with the gentlemen and they escorted him off the plane by police," Benoit said.

The flight then continued on to Fredericton.

Edgar said police denied his request to take a breathalyzer to prove his sobriety, "saying it was not worth the time to travel to where the equipment was."

CBC asked the Ottawa police to comment on the breathalyzer incident but they did not respond Thursday.

"I believe the flight attendant cornered herself into a position where she had to fabricate that allegation in order to justify her disproportionate response and bullying," he said. 

Seeking legal counsel

Edgar said he's now retained a lawyer to contact Air Canada to seek an explanation and redress.

"Frankly, I'm shocked at what I consider very high-handed behaviour by an airline to a simple customer complaint," he said.

In a previous email, Manon Stuart said crew members are professionals "who are well-trained to handle challenging situations."

"As always, the safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority."