Air Transat passengers stuck on planes call 911
 

More from: 'You can't do this to us': Fuming passengers stuck on planes for hours call 911 - Ottawa - CBC News

Wavering...I also wouldn't recommend playing the "I'm being kidnapped" card as a panacea for all the reasons stated above by Tangoalphad. There are many parts of the world, both east and west, where you really really don't want to do that.

As has been stated for example it's possible on international flights to divert to airports that lack the likes of customs and immigration, or are perhaps not designated as ports of entry. Calling the local Feds, or worse still just insisting on being offloaded, might not lead to the automatic restoration of your human rights.

Given this was at Ottawa, I doubt lack of customs/immigration services were the issue.

Trying to save a few bucks, on the other hand...

It's weird that they let the aircraft actually run out of fuel??

Interesting reading; not sure how accurate it is.
What rights do passengers stranded on airplanes have? | Canada | Travel | Ottawa

And now the CTA is going to hold a public inquiry on August 30-31
CTA inquiry to look at 'troubling' situation on stranded Air Transat flights

Air Transat are talking total bollocks when it comes to the true situation, We can only hope that the "experts" running the enquiry don't allow the total bull spouted by them is given any credence. If indeed they were denied refueling "on the runway", how come the other aircraft didn't have such problems ?{our aircraft included!} The would be well advised to shut up on the fiction and come clean with the truth rather than dig a deeper hole for themselves!r

Can you elaborate a bit on how things work - Is it enough for the pilots to request refuelling over the radio? Or does the airline's ground handling agent have to get involved?

I'm wondering if there was something going on where the pilot was requesting refuelling over the radio but the airfield wasn't getting the request or confirmation of payment or some such from the ground side of things?

Notfred, its incredibly simple, the airline has a dispatch organisation, the pilot requests the fuel load needed, or dispatch works it out, the fuel is loaded, the flight plan filed, the clearance is issued and away the flight goes, HOWEVER, its a good idea for the aircraft to have electrical power so they can use the radio, if not use a cell phone, on top of this the operator should have enough funds to pay for the fuel! and a pilot capable of clearly notifying dispatch and ATC, the inquiry will we hope see just how many of these actions were done by the crew/dispatch/management, somehow I suspect that we are about to see the usual bull being spouted by various members of Transat!

There is no evidence to suggest that TS didn't have all of those things in place. Having dealt with YOW during an IROPS, I can tell you that their resources are easily stretched and they don't respond well when stressed. They prioritize the scheds first and the charters get the dregs. Always have and probably always will.

For those who watched the Air Transat nonsense I'm sure that they had a very bad speech writer hired to write such drivel, the smart move would have been to "fess up" and do better next time, our local travel agent will not be using them "ever again" to quote her! When will big companies learn to tell the truth and do better next time? As for our politicians, they are certainly not the folks who should be running this investigation, the lack the ethics and knowledge for such a task!

Hmmm...someone has an axe to grind with Air Transat. I guess we all want something to blame when things don't go smoothly. But the truth is coming out now. Such as the passenger who called 911, first refused to identify himself, only did when his number was read on the P/A and then kept changing the reason he had called 911. He then declined to deplane after he was offered to do so and remained another 2 hours + on the aircraft, with his family until the aircraft arrived in YUL.

And they were indeed denied refuelling. They were told repeatedly it was coming, and it didn't. Why? Not yet known. But blaming a crew for making decisions based on the information they're being given is beyond unreasonable. If you think the crew was just sitting there doing nothing, or "forgot" to call, or some other such silly thing, you really have NO idea of how the industry works. They want to be on their way every bit as much, or more, than the passengers.

Sounds like you can take your rant and shove it where the sun don't shine. And no, I don't work for AT or know anyone there. But I do know IROPS and have had to manage diversions with hundreds of pax.

Nolinitholden, your charges against the airport staff are total bolocks, at no time were such requests made in time to get the flight on its way, its only the arrival of the police which eventually got things moving, the whole mess up is a reflection of a second rate organisation and total lack of leadership and initiative displayed by the flight deck crew, an examination of the radio logs makes interesting reading I'm sure!{, that is if they still exist! }And by the way, we diverted at roughly the same time, we returned to CYUL about one hour after diverting, fueled, provisions provided along with a crew who knew how to handle such situations!

Good Afternoon All:

I have been following this thread for a bit and as a "retired" guy I thought I would add some thoughts without pointing fingers in an arrogant way etc.

Based on my experience on the A-330 after a diversion you should have about 3 tonnes of fuel left based on the old rule of alternate arrival of having 30 minutes left of fuel (please correct if I have gotten this rule as incorrect as it has been 7 years). The rough guide for the A-330 for fuel consumption was 6 tonnes per hour for flight planning meaning the aircraft in question should have had 3 tonnes or slightly greater in tanks.

Again using rough guidance from way back the A-330 A.P.U. (under load electrics and pneumatic's) used approximately 400 kilograms of fuel per hour. Using that assumption the A.P.U. would have flamed out after 7 hours of use based on the fuel left after the diversion.

This is just me being me, after engines were shut down if asked to move the aircraft I would have said to the airport authority give me at least 5 tonnes and I will other wise the aircraft stays were it is. By doing that with the minimum fuel would have kept the aircraft with electrics and pneumatic's for passenger comfort.

Of interest at the Air Transat hearing the aircraft commander stated there was no complaints about cabin temperature when the A.P.U. flamed out from fuel starvation. Again from memory the human body generates roughly 75 watts of heat per hour, so times that against the number of passengers is a lot of heat to get rid of. I can remember a flight years ago in DEL were the A.P.U. failed on a B-767 even after getting full ground support it took an hour into flight before the cabin became comfortable again.

An aircraft commanders responsibility is the protection of crew, passengers aircraft and company property (physical and intellectual).

I will let the inquiry be the arbitrator of that but from my thinking this was a failure on many parts starting with the aircraft commander, flight dispatch, systems operational control and passenger services.

From the Ottawa Citizen

Egan: We were treated like luggage, passengers testify at Air Transat hearing | Ottawa Citizen

Alan and Patricia Abraham had a wonderful cruise through the Greek islands for their 25th wedding anniversary in July, only to arrive home to a nightmare.
After two weeks away, their Montreal-bound Air Transat return flight was diverted to Ottawa because of a thunderstorm. For nearly five hours, they sat on the tarmac in sweltering heat, tantalizingly close to their Orléans home. It was nearly 30 C outside, with no air conditioning, no departure schedule, no answers. Tempers rose, shouting began. A little boy vomited in the aisle. Children cried.
Alan’s nagging back, already stressed after a nine-hour flight, was aching. His anxiety rose. Flight crew, he said, were huddled away, tired of answering questions. All told, they were given about half a glass of water each and a “rock-hard” hunk of food.
“The stench in that plane was unbelievable,” he testified Wednesday, saying the pilot first warned of a 45-minute delay. “The pain in my back was intolerable, unbelievable. I was starting to get really bad anxiety after four-and-half hours.
“There was no relief from them whatsoever, no help. It was absolutely ridiculous. I felt like we were luggage.”
The Abrahams were among three passengers on flight TS507 who testified at a hearing of the Canadian Transportation Agency examining Air Transat’s conduct on the evening of July 31 when 20 commercial flights were diverted to Ottawa because of bad weather in Montreal and Toronto.
“I mean, they ran out of toilet paper,” testified Patricia. “Conditions were deplorable.”
On the second parked flight, TS157 from Brussels, the agency heard from four passengers, including Marc Jetté, who was so alarmed at conditions on the plane he called 911, drawing first responders to the aircraft to distribute bottled water and ventilate the interior by opening the doors.
“It was like being trapped in an elevator,” he said, stressing the sense of claustrophobia.
The stories drew a harrowing picture. Montreal resident Marie-Hélène Tremblay, testifying by video, described her desperation after she ran out of baby food for her 13-month-old, yet couldn’t get off the plane while witnessing staff taking “selfies” out on the tarmac. Another passenger testified to her concern about her dog, stuck in the cargo hold for about 15 hours.
Several scoffed at Air Transat’s offer of $400 in compensation, which only some of the passengers were extended.
The Abrahams were so wrung out from their ordeal that, after finally arriving in Montreal near midnight, they collected their car and stopped overnight in Hawkesbury at 2 a.m., unable to finish the drive home.
The hearing, which is being conducted much like a court with oath-taking and cross-examination by lawyers, also heard from the Ottawa International Airport Authority.
President Mark Laroche stressed the provision of fuel, food and water to passengers is not the responsibility of the airport.
“Airport authorities are not responsible for aircraft marshalling, refuelling, catering and baggage handling, many of the items that are at the heart of the issue before the panel today. All of these tasks fall within the purview of the airlines or their contracted ground handlers or agents.”
Airport authorities explained what an unusual night it was. On top of the regular schedule of 88 departure and arrivals, the airport had to “park” 20 diverted planes holding about 6,000 passengers. Among the planes was a massive Airbus A380 the airport does not normally accommodate.
Laroche said the evening was like a game of “Tetris,” in which pieces need to be fitted precisely together.
The airport considered the diverted planes of the “gas-and-go” variety, meaning they simply needed to be refuelled and sent on their way, not deplaned at gates. There was no request from any of the flights to disembark passengers, which would have meant clearing customs, emptying the baggage hold, letting passengers have a meal and re-clearing security.
Two employees of the refuelling company, Aircraft Service International Group, provided some insight into the complex workings of an airport.
“I guess I could describe the day as chaotic,” said dispatcher Matthew Robillard, who was co-ordinating the delivery of fuel, and handled dozens of phone calls and electronic messages that evening.
Manager Michael Jopling said the practice during an influx of diverted flights is to handle the regular scheduled flights first, then deal with the extra ones on a first-come, first-serve basis. The planes can’t be refuelled just anywhere, however, including if any of the wingtips are over grassy areas.
He suggested the position of some diverted planes that night — and the need to relocate them — led to delays in filling up tanks.
A lawyer representing Air Transat, Madeleine Renaud, queried airport authorities about why — if they aren’t involved in refuelling — they helped a diverted KLM flight gas up within 15 minutes and depart fairly quickly. That crew, the hearing heard, was nearly “timed out,” meaning the pilot and crew were near the end of their permissible flight time.
The airport said it merely facilitated the connection between KLM and the refueller.
Air Transat officials, including the president, are to testify Thursday, but Wednesday offered a brief statement:
“We are very aware of the difficult situation that has been experienced by our passengers. We have made our apologies for that and we apologize again. I think the hearing today show the complexity of the situation we’ve been faced with,” said Transat vice-president Christophe Hennebelle.
To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-726-5896 or email [email protected]
Twitter.com/kellyegancolumn

From today's Ottawa Citizen:
Egan: Air Transat says five-hour tarmac nightmare beyond its control
Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen
More from Kelly Egan, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: August 31, 2017 | Last Updated: August 31, 2017 7:39 PM EDT

The runway fiasco at the Ottawa airport that left 570 passengers hot, hungry, thirsty and in near-rioting moods on July 31 was the result of cascading events largely out of its control, Air Transat testified Thursday.
The airline pulled out its brass, its uniformed pilots, even its flight crew leaders to explain how two Montreal-bound flights ended up stranded for five and six hours at Ottawa’s airport — so long that one desperate passenger called 911 for help.
The Montreal-based airline did a credible job of explaining how a set of exceptional circumstances led its planes to be stuck without fuel at the mercy of strapped ground crews and harried third-party refuellers.
President Jean-François Lemay pointed to shared responsibility in the “eco-system” of players that make up a modern airport.
Indeed, “creeping delay” and unreliable information given to pilots led them to think departure was imminent — “just another 30 minutes” — which forestalled other action, such as disembarking passengers and busing them to Montreal.
“The delays and the fuel exhaustion of the aircraft from Brussels resulted from a complex chain of events. We assume our share of the responsibility, but all the parameters were not under our control,” said Transat vice-president Christophe Hennebelle. “It must be said very clearly that, had we known from the start that the delay would be so long, we would have made different decisions.”
That evening, there was bad weather in both Montreal and Toronto, leading 20 flights to be diverted to Ottawa, on top of 88 scheduled flights arriving or departing. There were so many extra planes, in fact, the airport was running out of places to put them.
Indeed, it was the misfortune of flight TS507 from Rome and TS157 from Brussels to land with nearly empty fuel tanks, only to be parked on a section of runway not normally used to hold aircraft.
As a consequence, it took 90 minutes to move the four diverted Air Transat planes to a place near Hangar 14 where they could be refuelled together.
But the hearing heard about myriad problems that ensued. First Air is the ground services supplier to Air Transat and it wasn’t staffed to handle the sudden influx of planes.
The refuellers were also overwhelmed. More than once, trucks ran dry and had to return to a depot to top up. To complicate matters, TS157 ran out of fuel completely, at one point leaving 324 passengers in the dark and without air conditioning, seeing indoor temperatures rise to 31 C or above.
To repower the plane, a piece of equipment had to be hauled from a non-secure area of the airport, leading to further delays. Then the plane wouldn’t start, requiring another piece of equipment to be transported. At one point, there was a shortage of ladders, required before refuelling can begin.
Diverted planes of the “gas-and-go” variety are normally refuelled on a first-come, first-served basis but that practice went out the window that evening. There was a KLM flight, for instance, that was refuelled and turned around in less than three hours. A giant Airbus A380 from Emirates, meanwhile, also appeared to be fast-tracked.
Air Transat pointed out that eight of the 20 diverted flights had waits of three hours or longer that night, yet it was the only one called to task by the Canadian Transportation Agency, which just concluded two days of hearings.
TS507 pilot Yves Saint-Laurent spoke of his frustration in getting his A310 refuelled. He was told his plane couldn’t be handled in its parking spot on the tarmac, yet he said a plane beside him was being gassed up.
He said he had a tense conversation with a refueller on the ground. “What’s going on? How come it’s taking so long?” he said he asked.
“It’s not my fault. I was directed to refuel the other aircraft first,” came the answer, pointing a finger at the airport authority.
Saint-Laurent, who lives in Ottawa, said the majority of passengers thanked the crew at de-boarding in Montreal. He said he was shocked to discover the “media circus” that awaited Transat in the morning, largely sparked by Twitter, cellphone video and the 911 call.
There was a jarring disconnect between testimony from passengers on Wednesday and Air Transat staff on Thursday. Both pilots said they knew nothing about requests from Ottawa residents to disembark the plane here, though these questions were plainly posed to flight crew.
On-board attendants also said indoor temperatures were close to normal, as were water supplies, statements vehemently contradicted by passengers. As for food, First Air said it could not quickly round up that many catered meals to an idle aircraft that had not cleared customs.
The three-member agency panel focused on Transat’s so-called tariff, which indicates passengers should not be held longer than 90 minutes on a tarmac and which airline staff seemed to know nothing about.
The agency is accepting written submissions until Sept. 8 and expects a decision a few weeks later.
To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-726-5896 or email [email protected]
Twitter.com/kellyegancolumn

Set the record straight
 

Wow!

Clunckdriver, I do not know what reason might drive you to spout such venom, but for the benefit of other readers, I am going to set you straight.

Everything I am going to write here was stated during the CTA hearings that were public and that can be viewed here:

https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/stream/cta/day1-1-eng.php
https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/stream/cta/day1-2-eng.php
https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/stream/cta/day2-1-eng.php
https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/stream/cta/day2-2-eng.php


Your first post.

Six aircraft were parked on taxiway C, west of the active runway when the terminal is east. The aircraft parked there were not only told that they could not be refueled there, but that no services whatsoever could be provided while there: no air stairs, no GPU, no catering, no fuel. On top o fit, all these flights were international flights that had not cleared Canada Customs. Any service would require not only the permission but the presence of Canada Customs. The aircraft were informed that they would have to be moved to the north ramp before any service was provided. The six aircraft were parked there about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Then one of the six, Air Canada 865, a B777 from London, was given refueling priority by the YOW airport authority after Air Canada informed the YOW airport authority that they were tight on duty. AC865 had been in the air 7 hours and 28 minutes before landing in YOW.

Three Air Transat flights had landed in YOW ahead of AC865.

TS711 had been in the air 7 hours and 39 minutes.
TS157 had been in the air 8 hours and 10 minutes
TS445 had been in the air 8 hours and 45 minutes.

(The above arrival times and flight times are from FlighAware)

Yet the YOW airport authority provided an escort to the fueller so that he could access AC865 where he was parled on taxiway C and it was refueled, as the other 5 aircraft that waited there to be moved to the North Ramp.

The fueller, in his testimony stated that they only had two drivers to fuel the 20 diversions plus the regular YOW flights and that the AC865 refueling operation alone had monopolized one of the two drivers for a full 45 minutes (these aircraft were all taking just minimum fuel to reach YYZ or YOW, 30 minutes flying away).

So when after 1.5 to two hours, when the six aircraft stuck on taxiway C were allowed to move, five of them had to taxi to the north ramps to go for fuel, while the AC865, taxied to the departure runway and left. They were giving priority when the crew's duty duty time was likely no more critical than the five others that were in the same predicament. Air Transat 157 landed at 1708 and arrived at the North Ramp around 1910. Over three hours later.

How is that for some truth ?

Your second post :

The flight plans were made, the fuel loads were requested, but all aircraft were told that no fueling would take place until the aircraft were moved to to the north ramp.
The Air Transat 157, after holding over YUL, diverting to YOW and holding again, had to declare a fuel emergency and landed after flying for 8 hours and 10 minutes. The emergency services were there to meet it on landing. Despite that low fuel situation, TS157 was kept on taxiway C for two hours on APU power. It was then it was forced to move to the North ramp, under its own power and made to stay idle a long time with engines running while the airport was playing musical chairs with the aircraft. The taxi from the taxiway C to the north apron took about 30 minutes. It was parked around 1910,
It was later asked to move again.

The YOW duty manager was the one calling the shots from a Follow-me car on the the ground frequency, since the YOW ramps are uncontrolled.
During that whole time, TS157 was running out of fuel and kept advising First Air, the ground handler, who kept stating, after talking to the YOW Airport Authority and to the fueller, that the fuel would be forthcoming once the aircraft was parked at a place where it could be fueled 30 minutes was the number always used). Never were they told that the delay to get parked and refueled would be any longer than 45 minutes.

After arriving at the North ramp, the YOW airport authority again intervened with the fueller, on behalf of KLM this time, who had also stated that they were running out of duty time. So KLM was refueled ahead of the three Transat flights that had landed before it and whose duty time was equal to or longer than that experienced by the KLM crew (the three Transat flights had arrived from BRU, MRS and CDG)

Then the fueller stated that some of the aircraft (he did not state which) had to be bypassed in their refuelling sequence because the YOW airport authority had parked them with their refuelling ports over the grass where the fuel truck were not allowed to position. These aircraft had to be moved a second time, again under their own power, in order to be refuelled.

Then you continue :

You obviously did not watch the hearings.......
What politicians are running the investigation exactly ?

And finally:

The 20 diverted flights all needed one thing: fuel. Some were parked at narrow body gates where fuel was quickly immediately provided (like AC and Rouge narrow bodies), but others like the four AT flights were parked where fuelling was not possible (except for that Air Canada flight that was refuelled on taxiway C).

All this parking space management was under the responsibility of one single authority: The Ottawa Airport authority.

Unlike what the Press and some passengers reported about TS157, the Air Conditioning was on for about the first 3 and 1/2 hours on the ground until the APU quit for lack of fuel.
When the APU quit, the air stair had already been installed and the fueller had arrived. The captain was under the aircraft trying to help the fueller refuel on battery power alone, since not GPU had been installed yet.

That is when the 911 call was made and the emergency services arrived. The captain had to stop tending the aircraft to respond to the emergency services and had no idea why they were there. When the emergency crews y came up the stairs and asked who needed the emergency services, no one came forward. The caller only identified himself when his phone number was read over the PA. He then said he called because he felt faint when the APU quit and the aircraft lighting dimmed when it became powered by the emergency lighting. He then changed his story and said he called because he felt the passengers were going to panic. They took his pulse and vitals etc and asked him if he wanted to disembark. He refused. The 911 called stayed on board with his family untl the flight made is to YUL.

All passengers refused to disembark when offered to do so at that time by the emergency services.

The GPU and the Air Start Unit arrived, the fueling was completed and the captain had to ask the emergency crews to leave the aircraft and move their vehicles out of the way so that he could get the engines started.

I downloaded all the communications from LIVEATC which I have on my computer and will share them with anyone who needs them..

None of the Transat aircraft ran out of water. That was also an invention of the passengers of the press.

By the way, out of the 20 aircraft that diverted to YOW that day, the second longest, after the Air Transat 157 that was on the ground 5 hours and 51 minutes, was Air Canada 318, which landed at 1715 and only took off at 2221, 5 hours and 6 minutes later. But it didn't run out of fuel.......
And that aircraft didn't offload its passengers either.

The reason for the enquiries, was that the CTA received complaints that Air Transat had violated the Tariff, which requires that passengers delayed on the ground for more than 90 minutes be allowed to deplane.

When the Air Transat counselor was questioning the YOW airport authority manager, she asked him how many aircraft had diverted to YOW that day. He replied 20.
She then asked him how many of those aircraft had departed inside of the 90 minutes allowed by the Tariff. He replied he did not know. After consulting the records, he replied "two".

She then asked him how many were on the ground for over three hours, and after consulting the records he replied replied "8".

Note that three of the Air Transat flights were parked about two hours on the taxiway C, where even an air stair was not allowed to the aircraft by the YOW airport authority. So the Tariff was violated while the aircraft were all parked on Taxiway C.

So 18 of the 20 aircraft violated the Tariff that day but only Air Transat was the subject of a hearing that day, because of the complaints of a group of passengers, none of whom wanted to get off the aircraft in YOW when given the opportunity......
Then some passengers in a second Air Transat flight, which had not run out of fuel, decided to complain as well after reading the story in the media.......

This is how this story unfolded.....

Air Transat, the truth at last!
 

Well, lets hope that next time Transat screws up they come clean with the reasons, and don't simply lie about the real reasons the passenger's were treated like garbage!

Gilles
Out of the 18 non Air Transat Airlines how many of them had passengers calling 911? From what I say on the news or as Trump would say the Fake News Organizations no one except Air Transat passengers called 911.
That to me Say a lot as to Why Air Transat was called on the carpet and fined.


Roybert

Could you provide any links to the latest info on this story, thanks.

Air Transat failed passengers stuck on 2 flights at Ottawa airport, agency decides - Ottawa - CBC News

The CTA has ordered Air Transat to compensate passengers for any out-of-pocket expenses related to the delay and pay an administrative fine of $295,000. The fine may be waived if the sum is divided amongst the passengers.