After a heated exchange, Huang says the agent snatched the phone from his hand and tore up the group\u2019s boarding passes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He remembers thinking, \u201cI can\u2019t believe this is happening in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huang says when his father tried to record a video of what was happening on his own phone, the situation worsened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the video, the agent can be heard telling the group they have \u201cno right\u201d to record and to \u201cGet this phone down!\u201d <\/p>\n
WATCH | Dispute with WestJet:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764587408_373_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
WestJet agent tells passenger he can\u2019t record<\/p>\n
Passenger Jingan Huang was recording his son\u2019s interactions with WestJet agents when one of the agents reached for his phone, telling him incorrectly that he cannot record.<\/p>\n
The agent then tried to grab that phone, which Huang says resulted in his 73-year-old father getting hit in the eye, leaving it red and swollen.<\/p>\n
A lawyer with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) says what he saw on the videos was disturbing, because recording such interactions is perfectly legal in Canada.<\/p>\n
![\"Elderly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764587408_44_default.jpg\")
Huang\u2019s father Jingan Huang has a swollen red eye, which he says occurred when a WestJet employee tried to yank his phone away. (Submitted by Jason Huang)<\/p>\n
\u201cThings are going to escalate,\u201d said Tamir Israel, director of the Privacy Surveillance Technology Program at the CCLA, \u201cunless the airlines systemically address this and make sure that all their [employees] very clearly understand that you cannot restrict recordings in these situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huang later requested compensation from WestJet under Air Passenger Protection Regulations<\/a>, which WestJet denied, so he has filed a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency.<\/p>\n WestJet declined Go Public\u2019s request for an on-camera interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a>, a spokesperson wrote that the incident was \u201cpromptly investigated,\u201d that the airline apologizes to the guests and that there would be \u201cinternal follow up.\u201d WestJet declined to elaborate when asked what that followup included.<\/p>\n Frustrated with Air Transat<\/p>\n Midhun Haridas and his wife Parvathy Radhakrishnan Nair say they faced a similar situation when they tried to fly back to Toronto from the Dominican Republic\u2019s Punta Cana International Airport in March 2024.<\/p>\n Haridas says an Air Transat boarding manager told them they were standing in the wrong place for check-in, which led to some confusion about where they should stand.\u00a0 The agent became irritated with them and said he wouldn\u2019t allow them to check in.<\/p>\n Confused and frustrated, Haridas took out his phone to record the dispute, but the agent demanded he stop.<\/p>\n \u201cDelete all pictures and all video for check-in,\u201d the Air Transat agent says on the video.\u00a0<\/p>\n As their departure time approached, Haridas says he and his wife pleaded to be allowed on the plane, but the agent ignored them.<\/p>\n Eventually, they were told they could only fly if they deleted the videos they recorded and signed a document stating they had been disruptive and abusive.<\/p>\n WATCH | Haridas barred from flight: Air Transat passenger told he can\u2019t board flight because he recorded video during dispute<\/p>\n This Air Transat employee told Haridas and his wife they could not board a flight home to Toronto from Punta Cana, unless Haridas deleted video of him from his phone.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, ‘We are never going to sign something which is false,’\u201d said Haridas. \u201cNever.\u201d<\/p>\n The plane left without them, forcing them to scramble to find an alternative flight later that day with another carrier.\u00a0<\/p>\n Judge\u2019s scathing ruling <\/p>\n When they got home, Haridas reached out to the group Air Passenger Rights<\/a>, and learned he should file a small claims lawsuit.<\/p>\n As part of the lawsuit, Haridas submitted his video recordings.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a scathing ruling, the judge said<\/a> he was thankful the recordings existed, because they show \u201chow terrible the customer service that [Haridas] received at the hands of the defendant corporation was.\u201d<\/p>\n He called Air Transat\u2019s conduct \u201cegregious\u201d and awarded the couple $7,000 as they were denied the ability to check-in for the flight and were never provided a reason.<\/p>\n Air Transat declined an interview request, but said in a statement<\/a> it \u201cregrets\u201d the experience \u201cdid not reflect the high standards of customer service we uphold.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The airline also said the individual who wouldn\u2019t let them board \u201cis no longer staffed\u201d on Air Transat\u2019s flights, though it did not clarify whether the employee resigned, was dismissed or reassigned.<\/p>\n Israel, the lawyer, says the video not only helped Haridas and his wife win their case \u2014 it was clear evidence that the airline changed its story.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the airport, an Air Transat employee said the couple could board the plane if they deleted the video. But in court, the airline claimed the travellers were a security risk.<\/p>\n Having a recording is helpful, said Israel, \u201cwhen there\u2019s a significant disagreement over what might be happening, or where the airline might be advancing one justification over a different one.\u201d<\/p>\n What the law allows<\/p>\n Both Huang\u2019s and Haridas\u2019s incidents fall under Canada\u2019s “one-party consent” rules.<\/p>\n According to the Criminal Code<\/a> a conversation can be recorded as long as at least one participant \u2014 such as the person doing the recording \u2014 consents.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is legal to record and use that evidence in a dispute, says Israel, since the passenger is recording the interaction with a service provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou have your own consent to record that interaction, and that\u2019s all you need,\u201d said Israel, adding such recordings are often essential when it comes to air passengers filing claims.<\/p>\n Israel says he understands why some airline employees might resist being recorded.<\/p>\n \u201cNo employee wants to be a meme,\u201d he said, \u201cor plastered on the internet as the person who did something wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n WATCH | Huang filed complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency: Passengers have legal right to record disputes, despite airline staff threats | Go Public<\/p>\n Legal experts confirm to CBC Go Public that passengers have a right to record disputes with airline personnel and that the videos could help when seeking compensation later. This comes after WestJet and Air Transat passengers say they were told they couldn’t board if they didn’t delete photos, video and audio recordings of staff.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why he thinks the airlines need to do a better job of training employees \u2014 especially as the holiday season approaches and travel disputes are likely to increase.<\/p>\n Huang also thinks airline staff need better training. But until then, he says, he wants travellers to know their rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf it can happen to us, I think it can happen to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Submit your story ideas\u00a0<\/p>\n Go Public is an investigative news segment on CBC-TV, radio and the web.<\/p>\n We tell your stories, shed light on wrongdoing and hold the powers that be accountable.<\/p>\n If you have a story in the public interest, or if you’re an insider with information, contact\u00a0gopublic@cbc.ca<\/a>\u00a0with your name, contact information and a brief summary. All emails are confidential until you decide to Go Public.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764587409_587_default.jpg\")
Midhun Haridas and his wife Parvathy Radhakrishnan Nair enjoy Punta Cana before getting turned away from their Air Transat flight home to Toronto. (Submitted by Midhun Haridas)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764587409_177_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764587410_480_default.jpg\")
Tamir Israel, a lawyer with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, says airlines need to make sure employees know that passengers have a right to record their interactions at airports. (Mike Zimmer\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764587410_996_default.jpg\")
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