Passenger Tiffani Adams recounted what she called a "nightmare" in a social media post shared by a friend June 19.
"I wake up around midnight (few hours after flight landed) freezing cold still strapped in my seat in complete darkness (I'm talking pitch black). As someone with an anxiety disorder as is, I can tell you how terrifying this was. I think I'm having a bad dream [because], like seriously, how is this happening!!? Adams said in the Facebook post.
She first tried to call a friend, but her cellphone battery died and there was no power in the plane, so she couldn't recharge it. She said she was "full on panicking" by the time she reached the cockpit looking for a means of calling attention to her plight, but nothing worked in the cockpit.
She said she found a flashlight in the cockpit and tried shining the light out the windows but nobody came to her assistance. Finally, Adams managed to get a cabin door unbolted and was considering the steep drop to the tarmac below when she spotted a ground crew worker, who helped get her out of the jet.
After realizing the mistake, Air Canada employees offered her a limo ride and a free hotel stay, but Adams said she refused the offer because she just wanted to get home.
A woman passenger was left sleeping on a parked Air Canada plane with the crew gone, engine and lights turned off. Aviation experts are now raising security and passenger safety concerns after this incident. ✈️ https://t.co/bOYXmkPGUi
— CBC Vancouver (@CBCVancouver) June 24, 2019
Now she’s having a tough time sleeping after the scary ordeal.
“I haven’t got much sleep since the reoccurring night terrors and waking up anxious and afraid I’m alone locked up someplace dark,” she said.
The airline said it is investigating how the flight crew missed Adams when they deplaned.
The airline confirmed the incident took place, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, but refused to comment on disembarking procedures or how Adams could have been left on the plane.
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