Passengers on an Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal to New York claim that a fellow passenger, an ultra-Orthodox man, was removed from the plane after he began praying, Canadian news site CBC reported.
The airplane was heading toward the runway at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport when eyewitnesses said the Orthodox man began to pray.
According to passenger Yves Faguy, seated nearby:" He was clearly a Hassidic Jew, he had some sort of cover over his head and was reading from a book.He wasn't exactly praying out loud but he was lurching back and forth. The action didn't seem to bother anyone."
Nonetheless, a flight attendant approached the man and told him his praying was making other passengers nervous, CBC said.
"The attendant actually recognized out loud that he wasn't a Muslim and that she was sorry for the situation but they had to ask him to leave," Faguy concluded.
Air Canada Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stewart stated in response: "We have received more than one complaint about the man's behavior and due to that the crew had to act in the interest of the majority of passengers." Stewart termed the matter as "being a delicate situation."
She added:" The passenger spoke neither English nor French, so we really had no choice but to return to the gate and secure a translator."
CBC quoted Hassidic Rabbi Ronny Fine, who said he often prays on airplanes, but typically only gets curious stares, and added that "If
it's something that you're praying in your own seat and not taking over the whole plane, I don't think it should be a problem."
The site reported that Jewish leaders in Montreal criticized the move as insensitive, saying the flight attendants should have explained to the other passengers that the man was simply praying and doing no harm according to which the Jewish group B'nai Brith Canada has offered to help give Air Canada crews sensitivity training.
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