Passenger dies after Porter flight makes medical stop Tuesday in Saint John
A passenger travelling on a Porter Airlines flight from Halifax to Montreal collapsed on the plane and later died, despite an emergency landing in Saint John.
Flight PD488 was rerouted to Saint John on Tuesday because of the medical emergency and was met by paramedics, said Robyn van Teunenbroek, a spokesperson for Porter Airlines.
The man was transported to hospital but was pronounced dead.
Van Teunenbroek did not say how the passenger died or whether it happened during the flight.
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"Everyone at Porter is saddened by the death of one of our passengers," van Teunenbroek wrote in an email to CBC News. "We are thinking of him, and his family and friends at this time."
Timothy Key of Toronto and his fiancée, Magdalena Wojtowicz, were on the flight to Montreal and impressed with crew and passengers during the emergency.
"As soon as the seat belt sign went off … my fiancée went down the hallway, used the washroom and then was coming out and a man was coming towards her and he was kind of stumbling down the aisle," said the 31-year-old Key. "He said his legs were weak … he didn't look well."
Key said he was told the senior collapsed in the aisle. Others on the plane tried to move him into a more comfortable position, he said.
"The flight attendants did an excellent job of maintaining control of the plane," said Key, who was returning home to Toronto after celebrating his grandmother's birthday in Bathurst. "There was no real panic situation."
Key said the plane was in the air for under an hour when it made a sharp turn, initially to make a detour to Moncton, where Porter services are offered. Instead the plane landed in Saint John.
"It was definitely a calm scene on the plane," Key said.
Pilot offers services
Since there is no Porter service at the Saint John Airport, there was no customer service representation or help to unload luggage, he said.
Flights to Fredericton are scheduled to begin Sept. 12 and to Saint John on Sept. 21.
The pilot and first officer got everyone off the plane safely, unloaded luggage and organized accommodation and transport to hotels in the area, Key said.
"What the pilot was able to do for us with really no resources available to him was impressive," Key said.
Dozens of passengers waited on the tarmac for about an hour.
"Our crew is well-trained to handle many types of scenarios and they acted quickly and efficiently under the circumstances," said van Teunenbroek. "We thank everyone at the Saint John Airport who provided assistance to our passengers and our team."
Key and Wojtowicz stayed in Saint John overnight and flew home at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
"Huge kudos to the pilot and first officer for what they did for us and getting us sorted ... and making us as comfortable as possible given the circumstances," he said.
