A WestJet passenger says he plans to sue the airline after falling asleep on a flight to Cuba and being kicked off the plane.
Stephen Bennett, who recently suffered a small stroke, took some prescription sleep medication as he boarded his flight from Toronto to Cuba. The medication quickly took effect and he fell asleep in his seat on the plane, but before take-off, WestJet employees worried something was wrong with him.
鈥淢y wife is nudging me, I open my eyes and apparently there was two vacationing nurses on board,鈥� he told CTV Vancouver.
WestJet employees then forced Bennett to get off the plane to be checked out by paramedics.
鈥淭hey said: 鈥榯here's nothing wrong with him,鈥� over and over and they still wouldn't take me on the flight,鈥� he said.
Bennett and his family were not allowed to board the plane again and ended up paying out of pocket for another flight to Cuba.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 really enjoy our vacation at all,鈥� said Stephen鈥檚 wife Josefa Sapelino. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so embarrassing.鈥�
Gabor Lukacs, founder of Air Passenger Rights, believes Bennett and his family should have been left on the plane.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a question of what they thought, the question is what (the situation was) and what was the evidence,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was clear in this case the passenger was perfectly fine.鈥�
WestJet, meanwhile, stands by the decision, telling CTV Vancouver in a statement that when crews 鈥渙bserve a guest who is exhibiting signs of not being fit to fly, we will, out of an abundance of caution and in adherence with Transport Canada's regulations remove the guest from the flight."
Bennett says he plans to sue WestJet because of the incident.
With a report from CTV Vancouver鈥檚 Shannon Paterson
