Viral vomit incident on Air Canada flight probed by Public Health Agency of Canada

The outrage sparked by a passenger incident involving a vomit-smeared airplane seat reflects a broader frustration with flight operations in Canada, travel specialists say. Meanwhile, the country's public health agency says it's investigating the recent episode. On Tuesday, Air Canada said it apologized to two passengers who were escorted off the plane by security after protesting that their seats were soiled — and still damp — ahead of an Aug. 26 flight from Las Vegas to Montreal. "They clearly did not receive the standard of care to which they were entitled," the airline said in a statement emailed to The Canadian Press. "Our operating procedures were not followed correctly in this instance." The Public Health Agency of Canada said it is in contact with Air Canada. It cited its mandate to ensure that anything brought into the country on conveyances ranging from planes to trains does not risk transmission of illnesses that can be spread via contact with bodily fluids. "Blood, vomit and diarrhea may contain micro-organisms that can cause disease. These fluids, and the surfaces that come in contact with them, should always be considered as contaminated," the agency said in a statement. John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, says the aircraft never should have been dispatched, given the "biological hazard" on board. "What the heck are you doing?" he asked of the carrier. "Totally out to lunch." The outcry on social media sparked by the incident speaks to a degraded level of service perceived by Canadians after a year marred by frequent flight delays and lost luggage, said former Air Canada COO Duncan Dee. "People's patience is likely wearing thin," he said. "I think travellers can relate to those two travellers' experience out of Las Vegas because they feel they've had their travels disrupted to a much greater degree than prior to (the pandemic)."<br/>