Customs Line Nightmare at Toronto Airport (YYZ)
#23
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Actually, no, Grace was travelling with her son. Candice was travelling with a cat. And while I own two, and I hope to be able to take them with me at some point when I fly to BC, I can totally understand why her seatmate complained, if she was allergic. I've seen people have some pretty significant allergic reactions to cats - even if they're sleeping!
#24
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I am hoping that Candace is not for real ... I happen to like cats, and am not allergic to them myself ... however, I have several friends and relatives who are allergic to cats. The fact that your cat is in a carrier asleep or that it is a 2.5 hr flight is not going to mean that an allergic person will not have an allergic reaction! Furthermore, people have a range of allergic reactions to cats - some suffer mildly, having a reaction similar to hay fever (congestion, itchy eyes), while others can have a very serious allergic reaction making them quite ill (air passage constriction, severe difficulty breathing). Frankly, I do not know why airlines permit allergenic pets in the cabin for this reason. However, given that they do permit pets in the cabin, I would expect those who are traveling with pets to understand that it may be necessary to accommodate those passengers who happen to be allergic. I am truly appalled at Candace's attitude - what is the flight attendant supposed to do? Take the risk of having a passenger have an anaphylactic reaction in the middle of the flight and possibly dealing with an emergency health situation? I'm sure Candace would not have been pleased if the plane had to be diverted to another airport in the middle of the flight to allow the allergic passenger to receive medical attention! And think about how the other passengers felt - no doubt they did not want to give up their aisle seat for you just because you had to move out of yours - and why should they? - they likely also specifically booked an aisle seat in advance. I think you are lucky that they didn't kick you off the flight after the locking-yourself-in-the-bathroom incident! Unbelievable!