Passenger booted from Mexico WestJet flight for excessive bathroom use
‘If you’re sick before a flight, hold it in,” advised X user
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A WestJet passenger alleged that she was booted off a flight for using the bathroom too much before takeoff.
Author Joanna Chiu (@joannachiu) revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that airline staff removed her from the flight after an “upset stomach” led her to take multiple trips to the bathroom. The incident reportedly occurred in January.
She wrote on the platform, “Just got kicked off a @WestJet flight from Mexico because I had an upset stomach and was going to the washroom too much before takeoff. No promise of a hotel or rebooked flight. I had meds and was on the mend. Some customer service.”
“If you’re sick before a flight, hold it in…” she cautioned potential passengers. “In my rush to get off the plane alone, I left my money with travel companions and @WestJet supervisor refused to pay for my taxi to a hotel 20 min away. He called a guard over to intimidate me but when I burst into tears the guard assessed rightly that WestJet dude was the a**hole.”
She added that she filmed her exchange with the guard, but claimed that a WestJet supervisor said that if she didn’t delete the video, she wouldn’t be able to join one of their flights the next day.
“I requested another employee help me,” she wrote. “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.”
Chiu noted that it frustrated her that she couldn’t get the proper help she needed without airing her grievances publicly. The company only direct messaged her booking reference number after she called them out on social media rather than giving it to her when she asked customer support at the airport.
X users sounded off in the comments section, perplexed by Chiu’s situation.
“What the heck! How many times does going to the washroom get you the boot?” one user asked. She responded with a few words of advice, “If you go to the washroom before a flight, and the flight attendant asks if you are sick, say you just have a small bladder.”
“This is outrageous,” another person wrote, while someone else commented: “Ridiculous. I’m sorry this happened.”
Meanwhile, one former flight attendant noted that the airline was likely just following protocol. “They made the right call,” they wrote. “I can’t vouch for how they communicated to/with you, but the decision wasn’t wrong.”
“The passenger was ill and as such should not have been flying,” another person added. “Sounds like this problem could have resulted in the passenger needing to occupy the lavatory for the entire return flight, or at times when ‘in seat’ is [required] for safety. Good call, poorly communicated.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments