Canada, February 20: In an unprecedented move, a Canadian airliner refused to allow a passenger board his flight to the US because of what officials described as “his strong body odor.”
Jazz Air, a regional airline in Canada that also serves US cities, confirmed on Friday that a man was asked to leave a plane earlier this month for being unpleasantly odorous.
The flight was reportedly departing from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in Canada.
“As an airline, the safety and comfort of our passengers and crew are our top priorities. Therefore, any situation that compromises either their safety or comfort is taken seriously, and in such circumstances, the crew will act in the best interest of the majority of our passengers,” said Jazz Air spokeswoman Manon Stuart.
“It’s important to understand that our crew members make every effort to resolve a situation before it becomes an issue. Unfortunately, in some circumstances, it may become necessary for our crew to remove passengers,” he added.
The move is said to be somewhat controversial as the airline does not have a specific policy covering body odor.
One of the passengers aboard the plane said the situation became “very uncomfortable” afterwards. “People were just mumbling and staring at him,” she said.
——–Agencies