Air Canada "Begged" 25 Passengers to Get Off a Plane That Was Too Heavy to Take Off

Image: Geoff Robins (Getty Images)

Seems like it was just yesterday that I was writing about how bad air travel has gotten. Oh wait, it was yesterday. Multiple incidents in the span of a few days tells you just how bad things are for travelers. Business Insider brings us the story of a passenger trying to get to Europe from Denver, whose flight was delayed 10 times, culminating in the airline asking for 25 passengers to get off the plane because it was “too heavy to take off.”

The man, who spoke anonymously to Business Insider, purchased an $11,000 ticket with Air Canada for a work trip to Europe. The problems began in Denver, where a heat wave pushed temperatures over 100 degrees. This was a problem for the fully-booked flight: Hot air is less dense, and coupled with the thinner air at Denver’s altitude, that makes it harder for a plane to take off.

Because of this, the traveler claims the airline “begged” 25 passengers to get off the plane and take a later flight. Finally, the flight took off, and landed in Montreal — a layover for the passenger who spoke to Business Insider on his way to Europe.

But apparently, staffing issues at Montreal’s airport forced passengers on the flight from Denver to wait on the tarmac for two hours. And the story only got worse from there.

Because of the delays, the passenger missed his flight from Montreal to Europe, with the airline denying him a hotel room since the delay was “weather related.” The passenger was eventually able to get a seat on a flight to Europe (which had also been delayed by several hours). But when he landed in Europe, he discovered his luggage was still in Canada. He had to spend nearly $5,000 to replace the items in his lost luggage for his business trip.

Air Canada’s response to all this? A statement pretty much saying that everyone is having flight issues right now. A spokesperson told Business Insider, “We are working hard with these partners and governments to resolve these issues as they are affecting the performance of airlines.”