A furious Canadian couple were left stranded at the airport and forced to rebook their Christmas journey home after an airline refused to let them board a flight due to a little-known internal rule about travelling with a baby and dogs.
Gate Shock Over Unpublished Policy
Ryan Coulson and his wife Rebecca Bordeiasu were preparing to fly from Abbotsford Airport in British Columbia on December 12 when their holiday plans unravelled. The family, including their infant daughter and two pet dogs booked in the cabin, were told at the gate by Flair Airlines staff that they could not travel.
The reason given was a new internal policy, reportedly implemented on November 20, which stated that a passenger could not fly with both a dog and an infant. Coulson told media they received no prior warning of this change. "We were never notified," he said, adding that the rule was not mentioned in Flair's published policies, domestic tariff, or on its pet-travel webpage at the time of booking.
Bordeiasu described the scene as chaotic and emotionally charged, saying staff were "almost trying to make us choose between our dog and our baby." She had assumed the journey would be straightforward, having flown with Flair on September 15 with her baby and one dog without issue.
Conflicting Claims and a Website Update
The confusion appears to have stemmed from ambiguous wording on the airline's website, which was later amended. Following the incident, Flair's pet-travel page was updated to clearly state: 'Each adult may travel with either one infant or one pet. Transport Canada regulations require that if an infant and a pet are travelling together, each must be accompanied by a separate adult.'
A Flair Airlines spokesperson claimed the policy itself was not new, saying: "We updated the wording on our website on December 17 to improve clarity for customers, but the policy itself did not change." The airline further asserted the rule was "longstanding" and came "directly from Transport Canada approved manuals."
However, Transport Canada directly contradicted this claim. In a statement, the federal authority said: "There are no Transport Canada requirements related to passengers travelling with both infants and pets." It clarified that individual airlines may set their own restrictions and advised travellers to contact their carrier in advance.
Costly Consequences and Legal Action
Left in the lurch just before Christmas, the couple had to scramble for alternative arrangements. They eventually rebooked to fly with Air Canada days later, reporting they faced no such restrictions and were allowed to travel together as a family with their baby and dogs.
"This is my daughter’s first Christmas," said Bordeiasu, expressing her relief they had not been trying to fly on December 23rd. The couple stated that while Flair offered to reimburse their original flight cost, no further compensation was provided. They have since contacted a lawyer regarding the situation.
The incident highlights the critical importance for passengers, especially those travelling with young children and animals, to verify specific airline policies directly before travel, even if a previous journey with the same carrier was problem-free.
