An Air Canada passenger who went viral with a story about vomit on a plane seat now wants others to post their experiences to hold airlines to account

15.09.2023 - 16:35 / insider.com / An Air

An Air Canada passenger's social media post about a vomit-covered seat became a viral news story earlier this month, and she is now speaking about the power of social media when it comes to holding airlines to account. 

On August 26, Susan Benson was on board a flight that was about to take off from Las Vegas to Montreal when she witnessed two passengers being escorted off the plane after complaining that a seat had vomit on it.

Benson, 57, told Insider that after boarding the flight, the two passengers complained about the vomit to two crew members on the plane and were told that staff had tried to clean the seat, which meant it was still wet. After negotiating for blankets to sit on and more wipes to try to clean the area themselves, the passengers were then confronted by the pilot. According to Benson, the Air Canada pilot told them they were being rude to the flight attendants, and would either have to leave the plane voluntarily or be escorted off. 

According to Benson, another passenger tried to intervene and tell the pilot the passengers were not being rude about their complaints, but security still escorted the two passengers off the flight. 

Benson believed the two passengers were treated unfairly so she decided to share the details about what she witnessed in a Facebook post on August 29. 

The post quickly gained traction, receiving 3,900 reactions and 6,500 shares. It also made national news headlines, including ones on Insider.

In a new interview with Insider, Benson reflected on what it was like for her to experience the power of the internet, and her story to go viral. She said she wants the encourage more people to post about their travel nightmares to hold airline companies accountable.

Benson told Insider her intentions behind her Facebook post were to tag the airline in the hopes that it would make them aware of what had happened. 

She wrote in the post that she would like "as many people as possible to share" it — she later told Insider she thought that more shares might increase the probability of the airline seeing her complaint and responding. 

Benson said she did not expect her post to receive as much online attention as it did. She thought the post would remain within her circle of family and friends, but it ended up receiving thousands of comments, many from people who said they were appalled by her story. 

The 57-year-old said she has since taken part in over 25 media interviews about her post. She previously spoke with Insider's Jordan Parker Erb in an article that included a statement from Air Canada about the matter, saying they were reviewing the situation and had apologized directly to the two passengers involved. 

Benson told Insider she's glad she spoke out on social