WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

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rookiepilot
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WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by rookiepilot »

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.5716636


Read the whole thing. WJ doesn't look that great....but who knows of course.
Couple highlights:

"But WestJet said the accounts from the crew and airline agents differ from Choudhry's.

"WestJet would like to clarify that there were two children, and we were not requiring the infant to wear a mask, but did require the other child, who is over age two, to wear one," WestJet spokesperson Lauren Stewart said in an email.

WestJet has a zero-tolerance mask adherence policy, the airline said, to comply with a Transport Canada regulation making it mandatory for all travellers aged two and over to wear protective face coverings while on flights.

"Our crew requested the presence of the authorities after the guests refused to comply with Transport Canada's interim order and subsequently refused to deplane the aircraft," the airline said in the update.

"Due to the rapid escalation of the situation on board, our crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently cancelled."

Stewart apologized to guests affected by the cancelled flight, and said the airline found flights for most of them.

"We are disappointed that this issue ended ultimately in a flight cancellation for all guests on board," Stewart said.

PAX response:
"We were surprised to learn our 19-month-old daughter needed to be wearing a mask," he said, adding that he didn't realize until later that the child wasn't required to wear a mask under Transport Canada rules.

He said he and his wife tried to force a mask onto their youngest daughter's face, to no avail.

"Of course, being desperate to get home, we — despite there not being such a policy — opted to comply until she was crying hysterically, with the crew watching over us, until she threw up, at which point they told us you all need to get off the plane."

Choudhry said after the child vomited, a flight attendant told him police would be called and threatened his wife with arrest.

A few minutes later, police arrived and said the child would need to wear a mask or the family would be removed from the plane. Choudhry said at this point, other passengers stood up to voice their anger at the situation.

Choudhry shared a video with CBC News that shows masked police officers speaking to passengers on the plane, and frustrated passengers can be heard shouting as a child cries. Another video shows police standing in the aisle, his older daughter wearing a mask and sitting with his wife, and his younger daughter sitting with him, unmasked.

"As you can see in the video, my three-year-old is already wearing a mask and is calmly watching cartoons," he said.

"Within a few minutes, the captain of the flight said 'for security and safety reasons, we're evacuating everyone from the flight," he said. "We felt awful that now this entire plane is being evacuated."

Choudhry said after the plane was evacuated, officers asked for each family member's ID — which is when police realized that the child was under two, he said.

Another passenger, Marian Nur, witnessed the entire interaction.


She said at no point did Choudhry or his wife raise their voices while interacting with flight attendants, and that she saw the family doing their best to comply with instructions.

"I was so shocked, the parents never raised their voices, they never got angry with the attendants, they were just trying to reason with them," she said, adding that she felt the airline's response "was just very unnecessary."

Nur said she felt the family was potentially being mistreated because of their race, so she started recording the incident on her phone. She said a flight attendant first asked her to stop recording, then asked police to make Nur stop recording when she refused — police told the flight attendant it was not their responsibility to stop Nur from filming.

"This was about a toddler not wearing a mask, and you felt the need to deboard the entire plane? There was a woman on the plane trying to get home to her mother on her deathbed. It was just frustrating, very, very upsetting," Nur said.

Choudhry said since the flight was cancelled, WestJet has not reached out to him or his family at all.

WestJet said due to privacy concerns, it currently can't share any more information about the incident."
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Last edited by rookiepilot on Thu Sep 10, 2020 5:17 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Inverted2
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by Inverted2 »

Aren’t infants under 2 exempt from diapers of the facial kind?

Such a far cry from the cheerful ‘owners’ cheesy jokes and rolling arsewipe down the aisle. :roll:
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Last edited by Inverted2 on Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by digits_ »

Wondering what the real reason was they cancelled the flight.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by dhc# »

They went from Westjet to "Wokejet" :lol:
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by Inverted2 »

dhc# wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 3:42 pm They went from Westjet to "Wokejet" :lol:
Or Karen Air :mrgreen:
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by '97 Tercel »

Image


(btw, excellent thread title)
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by GRK2 »

Such a far cry from the cheerful ‘owners’ cheesy jokes and rolling arsewipe down the aisle. :roll:

You haven't flown with these guys in some time have you?

:roll:
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by Big Pistons Forever »

I feel for cabin crew. In many ways I think they are in an impossible position when dealing with “guests” that don’t want to go along to get along when dealing with what is wholly a public health issue, not an aviation safety issue.

There are always 2 sides to a story but the media usually doesn’t do a great job balancing the competing narratives......
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by mbav8r »

I read another story that stated, the employee will now lose their passes, this “buddy” is still doing interviews with the media. It’s a pain but at least we have to travel with our buddies, keeps them from violating policy, I suppose. I always made sure to tell my parents that anything they do reflects on me and could cost me the ability to commute if they caused the loss of my passes, so best behaviour.

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/westjet-says ... -1.5096690
"Flight 652 from Calgary to Toronto was cancelled last night after guests travelling on employee travel passes chose not to comply with the Transport Canada order related to the wearing of masks on-board the aircraft for all guests 2 years and older
"WestJet recently launched a zero-tolerance mask adherence policy. Those guests travelling on employee travel privileges, including buddy passes, are held to a higher standard of behaviour on WestJet aircraft and we are disappointed that this issue ended ultimately in a flight cancellation for all guests on board.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by altiplano »

Why even bring up the employee pass thing though? Do they think it will turn public opinion against these people more? Seems irrelevant.

And why cancel the flight outright?
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by wan2fly99 »

People, a 19 month baby forced to wear a mask? is this wold gone insane? Call the police?
The policy is Gregorian. Over two wear a mask, under not needed.
So this virus is so intelligent as to not attack a baby?

Common sense gone ou the window.

I will not be flying for a long time now for sure and yes I do wear a mask in stores because have to buy food.

Next you will be forced to take the vaccine.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by rookiepilot »

altiplano wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 4:45 am Why even bring up the employee pass thing though? Do they think it will turn public opinion against these people more?
To shame them, it sure looks like.
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Last edited by rookiepilot on Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by Tips Up »

Big Pistons Forever wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 8:13 pm I feel for cabin crew. In many ways I think they are in an impossible position when dealing with “guests” that don’t want to go along to get along when dealing with what is wholly a public health issue, not an aviation safety issue.

There are always 2 sides to a story but the media usually doesn’t do a great job balancing the competing narratives......
Two thumbs up. Except I would add that there is often 3 sides to every story..... this probably turns out that it isn’t about the masking of a 19month old nor is it big mean WestJet picking on a completely innocent family. Nor is it that WestJet staff reacted as perhaps they should have given the actual situation. The media, and individuals who sometimes try to use the media, pick the story that makes the headline. Don’t fall for the bait on this story just yet.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by flyingcanuck »

I still don't understand why they cancelled it
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by RRJetPilot »

Sounds like the other passengers on board were getting fed up with the crew. So the crew felt unsafe.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by 2R »

How responsible are you for your buddy ? When your buddies are travelling on your buddy passes.Could you be fired if your buddy goes on Television and bad mouths your company ?

Asking for a friend :)
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by GRK2 »

2R wrote: Thu Sep 10, 2020 12:39 pm How responsible are you for your buddy ? When your buddies are travelling on your buddy passes.Could you be fired if your buddy goes on Television and bad mouths your company ?

Asking for a friend :)
Yes.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by planebored »

Not even close.

If someone else bad mouthed the company you might get slapped in the dick by management but there's about a zero chance a firing would hold up in court, or an union worth their salt would let stand.
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by Schooner69A »

The toddler wasn't the problem...
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Re: WJ calls in the Swat Team on Maskless Toddler

Post by 2R »

I am pleasantly surprised that these types of incidents are quite rare in Canada . Hence the news cycle focus on this unusual event of incivility on a Canadian aircraft.
Canadians are usually polite and known for their strong virtues of politeness .
If this was a LCC such as Ryan Air or Easy Jet it probably would not have made the news . As those guys are known for rough crowds and rude uncivil staff .

Just a matter of time before they issue cattle prods for cattle class or classless :)

As Ron the weather guy says " Stay Classy "
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