A 14-year-old girl was allegedly abandoned at the Toronto airport by Air Canada after her flight home was cancelled due to "labor disruption."
Diomerys O'Leary was notified by an email on Jan. 18 that her daughter Eva's flight from Toronto's Pearson International Airport to St. John's was cancelled at the Newfoundland and Labrador airport. It was then rescheduled for two days later.
Eva then texted her mother saying that Air Canada told her that she had to find a place to sleep, food and transportation all by herself. She then followed her mother's instructions and tried to speak to someone at the Air Canada counter, but was turned away for a second time.
"She was crying and desperate, asking me 'What do I do?' … I just couldn't believe it," O'Leary told CBC News.
The 14-year-old was traveling back to Canada from a trip to visit her father in the Dominican Republic.
O'Leary tried her best to help her daughter, and eventually got her an Airbnb to stay the night, an Uber ride there, and of course some food.
"What did they [Air Canada] expect for her to do? Sit on a bench, and sleep there for days and not even give her food, or anything?" O'Leary said.
After nearly two hours of being on hold with Air Canada, she then was able to book a flight for Eva to Gander, N.L. for the following day and got her a bus ticket to take home to St. John's.
"It was the worst day of my life," O'Leary said. "Even after I accommodated her, I wasn't able to sleep that night."
Air Canada told CBC News that the agent on the phone "offered to assist with accommodations, but the customer's mother declined."
O'Leary recorded the conversation and gave it to CBC News. On it, you can hear the agent saying that she could not help with accommodations.
Air Canada said the agent tried to help, "by instructing the mother on how to proceed." They added that it is "generally not advisable" for children to fly alone on international travel "due to the possibility of unforeseen flight disruptions outside the airline's control."
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