Shaun Mehta said he started feeling unwell while boarding a flight in Barcelona to Toronto on July 10. “The last passengers were still boarding when I became dizzy and nauseous. I passed out in my seat,” Mehta told CTV News Toronto. The flight attendants, along with a passenger who was a doctor, surrounded Mehta and gave him oxygen, which he said helped significantly. Spanish paramedics then boarded and tested his vitals, which Mehta said he passed and was cleared to fly. He speculated that the episode was related to vertigo from getting off the cruise ship he was on vacation on. In Mehta’s medical report, obtained by CTV News Toronto, paramedics checked “normal” for his breathing and “voluntary discharge” in their conclusion, describing his symptoms as “moderate.” “I just wanted to go home at that point,” he said. But then Mehta said a flight attendant approached him and said the pilot was uncomfortable flying with him. “They said, ‘If you don’t leave, we’ll escort you off the plane,’” Mehta said. In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Air Transat said information about the passenger’s symptoms was passed on to MedAire, a company specializing in medical and travel support. “After analyzing the situation and discussing with the captain, MedAire has determined that the passenger should not travel. Paramedics arrived a short time later and took care of the patient,” Air Transat spokeswoman Marie-Christine Pouliot said. “Passengers denied boarding for medical reasons should contact their travel insurance provider to cover any accommodation or travel costs.” While Mehta was eager to return home, he said Air Transat crew members assured him they would take care of him. He said goodbye to his 12-year-old daughter, left her with her grandparents and got off the plane with his wife. “I was waiting for an Air Transat representative to find us another flight, reassess me medically and take care of our food and accommodation needs if needed,” Mehta said. “None of that happened.” Instead, they were escorted to a taxi stand by an airport employee, leaving Mehta and his wife confused as they had nowhere to go. After expressing this to the attendant, Mehta said they were taken to a booth with various airline logos. There, they were given a card with an Air Transat phone number for their headquarters in Montreal. “It’s Sunday morning in Montreal, nobody’s going to answer,” he said. Unsurprisingly, he said they couldn’t reach anyone. “Air Transat had completely abandoned us,” he said. Desperate to get home, Mehta said they called their travel agent. The next Air Transat flight to Toronto wasn’t for days, so the agent 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 Air Transat. According to Air Transat’s website, if a passenger is refused boarding for reasons within the airline’s control, including those for security reasons, Air Transat will offer free food and beverage, access to communications, hotel accommodation and ground transport. “The moment I stepped off the flight, I didn’t seem to exist or matter to Air Transat. I’ve never felt so insignificant,” he said.
