Air Canada Cabin Crew's inability to speak French sparks a passenger's anger

When an Air Canada business class passenger realized that the flight attendant assigned to his zone couldn't speak French, he was upset and enraged. According to local media, Jean-Pierre Beaudoin was scheduled to fly with his wife from Quebec City (YQB) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) on March 21, 2023. On flight no. AC1688, they were both booked in business class. Beaudoin, who is bilingual and speaks both French and English, noticed he was being served by an English-only flight attendant. He then requested a flight attendant who could communicate in French. 

Cheap flights with cashback

The flight attendant then found a coworker who could communicate in French. The English-speaking flight attendant then informed Beaudoin, with the assistance of his French-speaking colleague, that "'Sir, this is my section." You have the option of exiting the plane, or I will serve you." When Beaudoin insisted on being served in French, a male flight attendant quickly entered the plane to inform him that he had two options: he could be served by the English-speaking flight attendant or he could leave the plane. 

Save Money 728x90

Beaudoin resolved to stay on the flight "as a matter of principle," and for the duration of the flight, he would respond to the flight attendant in French. Beaudoin filed a complaint with the Quebec Office of the French Language following the flight. Air Canada is governed by Canada's Official Languages Act, which grants English and French equal status. He stated that he did not submit a complaint with Air Canada because he was not confident in the airline's complaint-handling mechanism. Despite the fact that English and French are Canada's co-official languages, Air Canada does not require its flight attendants to be bilingual.

EN - 728x90

"We are proud to offer bilingual services as Canada's flag carrier."  Candidates who are fluent in both English and French are preferred.  Also, if you speak any of the following languages, please let us know: Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, Greek, Danish, Dutch, Hindi, Punjabi, and Turkish," the airline says on its flight attendant career opportunities website. 

Endless Possibilities

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post

1 / 3
980*120
2 / 3
728*90
3 / 3
EN - 728x90