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Air Canada launches investigation after woman left 'all alone' in dark and empty plane after falling asleep on flight

'As someone with an anxiety disorder as is I can tell you how terrifying this was,' says Tiffani Adams

Samuel Osborne
Sunday 23 June 2019 20:19 BST
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Woman falls asleep on flight and wakes up in pith dark on locked and empty plane

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Air Canada has launched an investigation after a woman was left alone in a dark and locked plane after falling asleep on a flight.

Tiffani Adams described waking up “all alone” on a “cold, dark” aircraft after flying from Quebec to Toronto earlier this month.

“I fell asleep probably less than halfway through my short 1.5 hour flight,” she said, in a message posted on Air Canada’s Facebook page.

“I wake up around midnight (few hours after flight landed) freezing cold still strapped in my seat in complete darkness (I’m talking pitch black).”

Air Canada confirmed the incident took place, but declined to comment on how Ms Adams may have been overlooked as its staff disembarked.

“We are still reviewing this matter so we have no additional details to share, but we have followed up with the customer and remain in contact with her,” Air Canada told the Associated Press.

Ms Adams said she called a friend after waking up but her phone ran out of battery around a minute into the call and she could not recharge it because the power to the plane was off.

She said: “I can’t charge my phone to call for help I’m full on panicking [because] I want off this nightmare asap.

“As someone with an anxiety disorder as is I can tell you how terrifying this was,” she wrote

“I think I’m having a bad dream bc like seriously how is this happening!!?”

Ms Adams said she found a torch in the plane’s cockpit and eventually tried to exit the aircraft, but found herself 50ft above the ground with no way down.

She said she then used her torch to send out “sos signals” but no one saw them, so she leaned out of the aircraft and called over a passing member of the ground crew, who was able to get her out.

In her post, she said Air Canada personnel asked if she was OK and whether she would like a limo and hotel, but she declined the offer.

She said representatives of the airline apologised and said they would investigate.

“I haven’t got much sleep since the reoccurring night terrors and waking up anxious and afraid I’m alone locked up someplace dark,” she wrote.

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Responding to her post on Facebook, Air Canada said it was surprised to hear the story and “very concerned,” and asked Ms Adams to send a private message with her flight details.

“We’ll take a look into it,” the airline wrote.

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