Angry passengers ready to vent at hearing into Ottawa airport ordeal

Public hearings begin this morning into an incident at the Ottawa International Airport last month that left passengers aboard tworedirected airliners stranded on the tarmac so long that some of them called 911 for help.

• 'You can't do this to us': Fuming passengers stuck on planes for hours call 911

Air Transat Flight 157 from Brussels was originally scheduled to arrive in Montreal on the afternoon of July 31, but was diverted to Ottawa due to thunderstorms.The flight landed at the Ottawa airport just after 5 p.m. ET after more than eight hours aloft.

It sat on the tarmacfor another six hours, and passengers weren't allowed to deplane.

Passengers complained the air conditioning in the cabin wasn't working despite an outside temperatureof 28 C, and said they weren't offered sufficient food orwater. Several passengers resorted to calling 911 to report an emergency.

Paramedics arrived, the plane doors were opened and passengers were eventually given water.

• How paramedics responded to 911 calls from Air Transat passengers stranded in Ottawa

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) launched an inquiry into the incident, as well as AirTransatFlight 507 from Rome, which sat on the tarmac in Ottawa for almost five hours. The CTA has set aside two days for public hearings at its Elgin Street office in Ottawa.

The agency calledon passengers and organizations involved in the incident to testify at the hearings, which will be broadcastlive online.

'A horrendous experience'

MaryanneZehilwas on the plane from Brussels and plans to take part inthe hearings.

"It was really a horrendous experience," saidZehil, who has kept in touch with other passengers who were also on the flight. "We're doing all this so something can change. We think it's unacceptable."

The inquiry will look into whetherAirTransatfollowed its tariff a contractbetween an airline and its passengers and whether that tariff is reasonable, according to the CTA's website.

According to Air Transat'stariff, it must offer passengers the option of getting off a groundedplane after 90 minutes.

The CTA has the power to order the airline to compensate passengers for out-of-pocket expenses, as well as other corrective measures.

Air Transat has already offered to pay each passenger$400on the flight from Brussels in what the airline called "a gesture of good faith" because the air conditioning wasn't working. Passengers on the other flight say they haven't been offered any compensation for their troubles.

Parents struggled to keep kids cool

Laura Mah, another passenger on the Brussels flight, saidshe has yet to see that money. She said she witnessed parents desperately trying to keep their children cool and hydrated, and pleading with flight attendants to open the doors.

"That's horrifying," said Mah. "Nowhere else would that ever be allowed."

Zehil, who said she witnessed another passenger suffer a panic attack, and whose dog was below in the cargo hold without water for 16 hours, has submitted her testimony tothe inquiryand will answer any questions via Skypefrom Montreal.

"We think there should be a law that obliges them to get us off the plane after a while," said Zehil.

Air Transathas blamed "a confluence of factors beyond [its]control" for the delay. The airline said a request to refuelin Ottawa was turned down, and neither portable stairs nor power units were made available while the plane was on the tarmac.

TheOttawa International Airport Authoritydisputes that account.

Public hearings rare

It's relatively rare for the CTA to hold public hearings into such incidents. This inquiry is only looking into the July 31 incident, and won't delve into industry-wide standards when it comes to tarmac delays.

In addition topassengers, the list of witnesses expected to testify at the hearings include the CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, the president of Air Transat, the director of ground services with First Air Operations and an airport official in charge of refuelling planes.

Publicconsultations on the broaderquestion of air passengers' rights are expected once Bill C-49, known as the Transportation Modernization Act, is passed.

The public hearings Wednesdayget underway at 10 a.m. ET.