Woman Says She Was Booted From WestJet Flight for Using the Bathroom Too Much
There are two sides to every story. Find out what WestJet said about a passenger's pre-flight illness. The passenger shared advice for other travelers.
Published Feb. 19 2024, 9:51 p.m. ET
A woman claims she was booted off a flight for having to go to the bathroom too much, and her story has gone viral.
What exactly happened in yet another incident involving a bad experience with an airline? This one is going to stick with you!
Read on for the details of Joanna Chiu's airplane nightmare, which she shared on Twitter, and has everyone talking. Is it because we are all praying this never happens to us? Um, yes.
A passenger says you shouldn't be sick before a flight — or else.
Twitter user Joanna called out WestJet for kicking her off of a flight from Mexico. She claimed the airline gave her the boot because she had "an upset stomach."
The sick passenger said she "was going to the washroom too much before takeoff."
Not only was she "on meds" and "on the mend," but according to Joanna, with no promise of a hotel or being booked on another flight, the situation left her in the lurch.
Her advice? "If you're sick before a flight, hold it in."
The situation went from bad to worse for the sick passenger.
According to Joanna, when she was asked to get off the plane, her experience only got more dire.
"In my rush to get off the plane alone, I left my money with travel companions and the @WestJet supervisor refused to pay for my taxi to a hotel 20 minutes away," she said in a follow-up tweet. "He called a guard over to intimidate me but when I burst into tears the guard assessed rightly that WestJet dude was the a------."
Then, as Joanna tells it, the supervisor demanded she delete a video of the exchange, and said she would not be allowed to fly the next day if she didn't comply.
Next, Joanna recounted, "I requested another employee help me. She was much nicer but refused to give me a booking reference for my rebooked flight. She told me to just come back to the airport tomorrow and ask at the counter."
Apparently, the fact that Joanna decided to share the embarrassing and disconcerting incident led to her finally getting the customer service assistance she desired from the very beginning.
Once the company saw her tweets, it appears they helped her get a booking reference number and she was able to get a flight home.
"Hi everyone. I’m home safe and sound!" Joanna updated her followers two days after her initial flight. She shared a concerning health update as well. "There continued to be an unfortunate series of events involving urgent care treatment, but I’m OK now!"
The passenger has some last words of advice for would-be travelers.
Her final word on the situation having had a few days to reflect? Well, Joanna tweeted some advice for anyone who has been following her story.
"Check whether your destination is known for stomach bugs. Take probiotics etc. If you're asked to deplane, take the time to gather your wallet, passport, medications. Duolingo proved useful and offline translation apps. If staff is abusive, ask for another to help you."
WestJet shared its own take on what happened.
You may be wondering what the airline's point of view on the incident is. So are we!
Well, WestJet had this to say in a statement, “We sincerely apologize to Ms. Chiu for the inconvenience and discomfort she experienced during her recent travel experience. Ensuring the wellbeing and safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority and therefore we take any health-related concerns very seriously.”
“While unexpected illness can occur while traveling, maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all guests and crew members is paramount. In circumstances where a guest is deemed unfit to travel due to illness, our crew must make difficult decisions in the name of safety," the statement concluded.
Despite the unpleasant experience, we're glad the situation worked out for Joanna and that she made a full recovery!
