AC 93 — “Is there a doctor on board?”
AC 93 flies a weird route. It’s a multi-leg flight that starts in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Two hours later, everybody must get off and hang out at Santiago’s airport, Chile, where more passengers are picked up. Then the boarding process starts for the final 10.5-hour leg to Toronto.
The flight wasn’t just late, it was very late. Maybe the plane was being cleaned after the Buenos Aires-Santiago leg but I doubt it because my window seat was covered with crumbs and other unidentified food bits. I was COVID-19-ready, so I cleaned everything with alcohol wipes (thank you, Carrefour supermarket in Buenos Aires) and offered a few to my seatmates, a Canadian couple from Victoria whose cruise had come to an abrupt end in Argentina—all the ports were turning the boat away as borders were closing.
They looked healthy enough, phew.
The Air Canada crew explained they had been flying this route for a week and this was their last trip. “We’re happy to go home!”
“… and so are we,” someone shouted.
“Cabin crew, prepare to take off…”
Seat belts buckled, luggage haphazardly secured—the aircraft was a mess, pretty much a flying chicken bus—we were finally leaving Santiago. The 8 p.m. flight had been delayed to 8:55 p.m., then 9:15 p.m. and when I checked my watch I saw it was already 10:30 p.m.
The pre-flight safety video started playing and…
And then the plane stopped.
Not as in “ready for takeoff” stop, it just stopped in the middle of the runway. Like, even I don’t park like this.
“Is there a doctor on board?”
We all froze in our seats.
There was no misunderstanding—the same question was repeated seconds later in broken French and in Spanish.
As “straight out of a movie” as it sounds, I’ve heard this question before, especially on Air Transat flights across the Atlantic. It’s usually a minor issue—a kid pukes, someone is having a panic attack, whatever. But considering the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact we were about to take off, this was the last question we wanted to hear.
“This is probably not related to the coronavirus,” the pilot said a few minutes later. “But… anyone with a medical background? Anyone?”
Apparently, no one.
I couldn’t see the sick passenger, he was all the way at the back.
Five, ten, and twenty minutes passed, and eventually long enough for someone to pick up a medical degree from an unaccredited university.
“I’m sorry folks, we’re going back to the gate, the passenger must be removed from the plane.”
Fuck. Double fuck. Triple fuck. Fuck because, hey what the hell was going on? Fuck because we were back to step one. Fuck because it was now really late and we may have missed the takeoff slot.
The Chilean paramedics came on board and escorted the passenger out, then we had to wait for another hour because his checked luggage had to be retrieved as well.
I learned later that the passenger was Canadian and it was suggested he was displaying the early signs of heart failure. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in his shoes—missing what could be the last chance to go back to Canada and dealing with a major health issue alone in Chile…
AC 93 — Medical emergency #2
All the pre-flight steps were repeated and we finally took off, much to everyone’s relief.
Then we learned that there was no hot meal because reasons (apparently, they had run off of food), which really sucked because most of us didn’t have a chance to eat at all—most “restaurants” were closed at the airport and it had been a long, tiring day. I ate my own sandwich, like during a bus trip, and then I dozed off watching a French movie on my phone.
I woke up with a start halfway through the flight. Some passengers were leaving their seats, the crew was running down the aisle.
“Middle row,” my seatmate said. “A passenger is… really not feeling well.”
“Is there a doctor on—”
The pilot stopped in mid-sentence as if remembering we had already established there was no doctor on board.
“This is probably not related to the coronavirus.”
Definitely the disclaimer of the day.
I moved to the back of the plane along with other passengers. The sick passenger was a very old gentleman.
“He’s not breathing!”
Oxygen was brought. A defibrillator was brought.
I don’t think it ended well.
I didn’t want to find out. We still had hours left in the air.
AC 93 — Medical emergency #3
We didn’t have dinner so logically, we didn’t really have breakfast either—a piece of bread, a “hockey puck” as my seatmate said.
But we were about to land, anyway. Here was Toronto, grey sky and patches of snow on the ground.
“Folks… I’m sorry, but we have a medical emergency. We’re calling paramedics and the passenger will have to be removed from the plane first, so it’s gonna take a while.”
Are you fucking kidding me?
“Oh, and this is probably not…”
Yeah, yeah.
Turned out that another passenger was having a heart attack.
I went to the bathroom and realized that many passengers were very old. Not as in “senior” old, but as in “you’re 90 and probably shouldn’t fly” old. I had never seen so many frail passengers in a plane, folks who couldn’t walk and just didn’t look healthy enough for a long flight.
The only explanation I came up with is that many of them could have been on a cruise and since all borders were now closed, they had to fly back to Canada. Still, South America is a long way from home…
Pearson Airport, Toronto — “You’re now under quarantine”
Paramedics took care of the lady, then dealt with the other passenger who didn’t make it (…I think?).
“Hi, this is CBSA talking… I’m here to inform you that as of now, you’re all under quarantine. Thank you.”
I had a moment of panic. Quarantine? Like, can we get off the plane or not?
Turned out CBSA meant “self-isolation,” i.e. what I already knew—all returning travellers to Canada were asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days. Phew.
Despite the dramatic statement, there was absolutely no screening at Pearson. Yes, I know, it sucks (note that it may have changed later, I came back on March 20). I was expecting temperature checks like it was done in Santiago when I arrived from Buenos Aires, but nothing.
I was handed out a pamphlet about COVID-19 symptoms, and another one about self-isolation, I acknowledged I knew I had to self-isolate and that was it.
The immigration process was extremely quick, maybe because all travellers to Canada were now either Canadian citizens or permanent residents. The vibe was “move along.”
Pearson Airport, Toronto — The baggage carrousel
“For once, I’ll get my backpack quick!” I had joked with Feng the night before. “No chance a Beijing-Toronto flight will hog the baggage carrousel.”
Ah, ah. Even though the hall was dead quiet we were informed that we would “experience a delay.” No shit. I was stuck there for over an hour.
I chatted with a few passengers, including a very young backpacker from Israel who told me she was going to spend a couple of nights at the airport before eventually getting on a London-bound flight.
“Wait… you can leave the airport, you know. See this door? That’s it. Once you get your backpack, you’re exiting and you’re in Toronto.”
“But I’m not supposed to be here, I’m not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident!”
I shrug. “Well, you were allowed to board the flight, so…”
There was also a handful of German and Dutch backpackers who were similarly surprised to realize their passports hadn’t been stamped and that they were free to go.
I still don’t understand why some foreign passengers were allowed to board and others weren’t—but hey, good for them.
AC 452 — The bumpy flight to Ottawa
My connection to Ottawa was at 7:40 a.m. Obviously, I had missed it. We had all missed connections and there was a long, long lineup in front of the Air Canada counter to be rebooked on other flights.
I checked my email. I was already booked on the 1 p.m. flight. Fine by me. I gave priority to West Coast passengers—still a long way to go—and went out for a smoke.
At first glance, everything looked normal in Toronto. Starbucks was open, few people were wearing masks, it was quieter than usual but still busy.
I called Feng, then I called my mom and went to pick up my new boarding pass.
“Alright folks, it’s going to be a very bumpy flight to Ottawa and we’re not allowed to serve drinks and food anymore… but have a good flight!”
Look, as long as no one has a heart attack, whatever.
We landed forty minutes later.
I rushed out.
Feng was here.
I was home.
Tu devrais être pigiste pour Radio-Canada, sur celui-là.
I find very sloppy not to at least control arriving passengers temperature. Plus, the foreigners who are just in transit for a few days should have been taken care of, even send to an hotel room for free (who cares, they aren’t that much) to observe quarantine. It’s decisions like that which propagate needlessly the virus.
I have no idea if it’s standard procedure or if things are different for now, but I find strange that there wasn’t an emergency landing for the 2nd medical problem. From Santiago to Toronto, there is probably a town with an hospital close to the fly path, no ? It’s not a Tokyo-Vancouver.
Quarantine in the plane ? Hey, New-Brunswick has closed its border with other provinces, travels are restricted within Québec, and there are even talks of locking-up Montréal.
In Ontario, I’ve heard that Ford wasn’t happy to not get a cut from assholes who hoard alcoholic gel to sell it at a higher price.
I think most of the time, emergency landings are not really a thing unless there’s a technical issue with the aircraft. Besides, time to find an airport, land, go to the hospital… probably would have been too late anyway. The main issue is that some passengers were obviously not healthy or fit enough to fly, nothing to do with the coronavirus.
Yeah, the process in Toronto was much, much less “dramatic” than I would have thought considering the virus. We were screened better in Santiago two weeks earlier. We also have to provide contact info and our seat number for followup is any issue. Maybe Canada considered we weren’t coming from a high-risk zone? I hope passengers from Europe were screened better than that.
Like promised, a view of the situation on the road :
First, I have a problem with the way travel restrictions are reported: habitually, they say that essential cargo like food and medical supplies won’t be affected, but tourists will be forbidden to move around. But they never talk about non-essential cargo: it seems to me that all cargo, in fact, are essential. That’s sloppy reporting. Probably unpopular to expose the truth.
When crossing the border with the U.S, for now, the only difference with before is that we are asked if we went oversea recently. But the process is similar. In a majority of truck stops, self-serve food item are closed, and the majority of restaurants or fast food joint have closed their dining area.(However, the one in Headingley, MB, was still open, but only allowed 50 people at a time). But it’s still possible to order food to go anywhere.
Some companies ask drivers if they experience symptoms or if they have been overseas recently before allowing the truck on their lot.
Often it is demanded not to use currency and use instead credit or debit card. Special mention to the stupid Blue Water Bridge Authority between Fort Huron, MI and Sarnia, ON, which doesn’t want cash, but only accept credit cards with no chip. Hey, I don’t have anything else, idiots. They could have let me pass for free. But no, they took cash. Dumbasses.
Moreover, when coming back to Canada, we are not required to self-quarantine, which would have been relatively complicated.
On another hand, truck drivers are pretty much often isolated from contact, except when stopping in a truck stop or when picking-up or delivering. It’s relatively easy to keep social distancing.
For now, it seems that freight is not drying up. Au contraire, it seems that there is a shortage of freight capabiliies, so trucking companies keep running. I don’t know if it will stay that way.
In fact, one of my concerns is the lack of strong measures taken in the U.S. The situation will probably deteriorate in a way we haven’t seen neither in China nor Europe, due to the Imbecile-in-Chief’s incompetency. Which means that a lot of people will be infected and get sick, which will reduce the services available on the road, for food, repairs, etc. So, no restriction per se, but potentially long delays on the road. I have the feeling it could be wise to plan to limit oneself to intra Canada trips in a near future, with eventually trips to northwestern U.S (WA, ID, OR, AK — hey, I want to go to Alaska, never been there).
So, still trucking, and the future doesn’t look that bad, except that the CAD is so low compared to USD that prices for hauling hardware have risen. A brand new long-haul truck price has risen between 25000 to 30000 CAD in one day due to the exchange rate going from around 0,75 to around 0,68. But I have possibly a plan to get around this issue. Plus, I have luckily decided a couple of monthes ago to have the engine of my current truck rebuild, which will bring a 3 years warranty on it and leave me with the ability to keep it and not have to fear future huge repair bills.
The USA just has to be the best at everything… so now they have the most cases, fuck yay! It’s sad, really, because it was a recipe for disaster from the start with a shitty healthcare system and Trump.
I’m kind of worried about you now, driving through the US… You’re a smart guy, be careful. I know that technically you’re not in contact with many people but still.
Asking people to self-report symptoms is awfully flawed. People aren’t the best judge of their health…
Ouais, à ce sujet …
J’ai passé 10 jours en Californie fin février, et je suis rentré sur Edmonton en passant par l’aéroport de Seattle. C’était le moment où ça commençait à apparaître sur la côte ouest. Le truc, c’est que les infos sur les symptômes étaient pas très au point. En particulier, la difficulté à respirer semblait en être un important, et la période d’incubation était donnée à 15 bon jours.
Une semaine après que je sois rentré, j’ai passé 2 jours et surtout une nuit assez désagréables, mais ça s’est arrangé facilement après 3-4 jours, que j’ai essentiellement passé dans ma cabine. Sauf que depuis, les infos sur les symptômes, en particulier une toux importante, sans problème respiratoire, 1 semaine d’incubation, fièvre et grande fatigue correspondent fortement à ce que j’ai expérimenté ces 3-4 jours. Plus le fait que j’ai traversé un point sensible, je me dis qu’il est assez probable que je l’ai attrapé. Cela dit, personne au bureau n’est malade, donc je ne l’ai pas transmis dans mon cercle de fréquentation, c’est déjà ça.
Et d’après ce que j’ai lu, il n’y a pas encore moyen de déterminer si on l’a eu, ce qui est logique vu qu’on a déjà du mal à tester les personnes susceptibles de l’avoir.
Ça n’empêche que je continue à faire attention, vu qu’on peut trimballer cette saloperie sur soi et la diffuser même sans être porteur.
Le Canada a commencé à s’inquiéter seulement 2 semaines après, donc bon.
Je pense que pas mal de personnes ne sauront jamais si elles l’ont eu ou non. As-tu eu le symptôme “perte du goût et de l’odorat”? Le truc vicieux, c’est que les formes “bénignes” ressemblent à ce qu’on appelerait en temps normal “un virus” sans chercher plus loin.
Pour l’anectode, ma soeur qui est à Paris l’a très probablement eu début mars. Elle a été super malade pendant une semaine, on pensait à la grippe, parce qu’à l’époque on ne parlait que “du” foyer en Italie. Le médecin qu’elle a consulté lui a dit de rester chez elle et qu’il n’en savait pas plus sur ce qu’elle pouvait avoir. Et finalement, quand on en a appris plus sur les symptômes, elle les a tous eu, y compris une conjonctivite juste avant et la perte du goût et de l’odorat juste après. Bonus, elle sait aussi comment elle l’a attrapé : elle était sur un tournage et le couple qui prêtait son appart pour les besoin du film (… non, pas du porno, elle est juste comédienne et actrice…) revenait d’Italie et était grippé. Alors effectivement, après coup c’est “bon sang, mais bien sûr!”, mais début mars, on n’en parlait pas autant et les probabilités paraissaient très minces.
Perte de goût et de l’odorat, je ne l’ai pas noté, et conjonctive, ben, c’est vrai que j’ai eu les yeux qui piquaient un peu une journée, mais j’ai mis ça sur le compte de la fatigue. Donc bon … Je m’inquiète surtout pour mes parents et mes neveux et nièce.
Tu t’inquiète pour eux à cause de la situation en France? Si ça peux te rassurer un chouia, les enfants sont *en général* peu touchés ou peu malades. Mais je comprends, je suis aussi inquiète pour ma famille…
Oui, en général. Mais ça peut arriver. D’ailleurs, cette semaine, les jumeaux, nés en décembre, devaient faire leur seconde tournée de vaccins, ça a été toute une expédition.
Cependant il est vrai que je m’inquiète surtout pour mes parents.
Pareil ici, je m’inquiète pour mes proches plus “vulnérables”. C’est dur en plus d’être loin, même si je suis consciente que je ne ferais rien avancer sur place (non, vraiment, j’arriverai pas à bricoler un vaccin abec YouTube et Wiki).
Oh yes. Definitely Trump’s fault. LOL. Trump-Derangement-Syndrome.
By the way, how is quarantine? I guess it’s pretty hard. How do you cope with it?
I’m not in quarantine, the official advice (now an order) is to “self-isolate”. So I’m not in quarantine from Feng and Mark for logistical reasons, we live in a small place. That said, I wasn’t coming from a high-risk zone, considering Mark was still going to school until March 14, they were more likely to contaminate me than the other way around… I would have acted differently if I was coming back from France, for instance (or more likely, I wouldn’t have traveled to Canada in this context).
So my routine hasn’t changed *that* much because like you, I’m not very social. All the places where I usually have social interactions like the gym or Starbucks are closed, I work from home (and everything in on pause now) and I don’t see friends often. I’m not locked up in a room, basically, but I have no interactions with people other than Feng and Mark (and the rest of the world online, obviously). But again, if I’m busy with work… that’s pretty much my life.
it’s suppose to be scary, but I was laughing when I read this. how is everything in Ottawa?
We’re doing okay, but freaking out like the rest of the world. Everything is closed except supermarket, we’re encouraged to stay home, etc. How about you?
The tale of your flight back (in three parts, no less) had me reading in between my fingers with my hands on my face (clean hands, I haven’t left home in days)… I was scared and stressed for you! I’m so glad you are back home. Ô Canada!
It was a very, very weird flight. And I consider myself lucky I came back right on time!