An Alberta woman said Air Canada refused to let her three-year-old granddaughter use the nearest washroom on a flight from Nova Scotia to Calgary, which resulted in the toddler wetting herself and having to sit in her own urine for three hours.
“When I did go to take Ruby to use the washroom around the second or third time the flight attendant told me I couldn’t come up here anymore,” grandmother Stacey Osmond told CTV News Channel Monday.
“I was taken aback by it. I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I didn’t know that washroom was only for business class people.”
Osmond said the agent who helped her book the flight put the couple in seats close to the washroom so her granddaughter could have quick access.
After being denied access, Osmond and Ruby went back to their seats.
A little while later, when they tried to use the rear washroom, a service cart was blocking the aisle.
“I tried to take her to the front washroom and explain to [the flight attendant] that the service cart was blocking the rear washroom and she still said no,” said Osmond.
Osmond told CTV News Channel that she stood behind the service cart for a period of time and no one offered to move it, so they once again returned to their seats.
Ruby became insistent that she needed to use the washroom.
“I didn’t want to cause a scene or have an incident with my small grandchild so Ruby ended up peeing in her pants,” she said.
While Osmond did think about pressing the issue, a passenger seated next to her scared her by saying that Air Canada could bar her from flying on the airline in the future. So she decided against it.
Osmond added that she also observed another passenger attempt to use the front bathroom due to the service cart blockage and was denied on three separate occasions.
Osmond told CTV News Channel that Ruby was stoic about the whole situation.
“She kept telling me it will be okay Nan,” said Osmond. “She was good with it.”
Osmond sent Air Canada a message the following day and they apologized and offered her a 25 per cent discount on her next flight.
But Osmond wrote back that it wasn’t enough.
Air Canada then phoned and apologized, as well as offered a $200 voucher for future flights and some toys for Ruby, Osmond said.
Osmond still isn’t satisfied. She told CTV News Channel she should have gotten an apology from the flight attendant herself.
“They can’t be behaving like this and expect someone else to clean it up for them,” she said.
Air Canada told CTV News Channel they have been in touch with Osmond about this “regrettable incident” and have no further comment on this issue.
