Tiffani Adams thought she was in for a short flight home to Toronto with work the next day, but she got quite a bit more time on the plane than she planned.
After spending the weekend in Quebec with her friend Deanna (who posted this story to Air Canada's Facebook page for her) Tiffani boarded her Air Canada flight and got comfortable.
She had a whole row to herself, since the plane was nowhere near capacity, and she soon fell asleep.
Instead of waking up as the plane touched down about an hour and a half later and disembarking with the rest of the passengers, Adams remained asleep. She awoke several hours later to find herself alone on a cold and very dark plane.
The experience was not a good one for Tiffani:
"... as someone with and anxiety disorder as is I can tell you how terrifying this was..I think I'm having a bad dream bc like seriously how is this happening!!?![sic]"
After waking, Tiffani realized that she had missed several messages from her friend Deanna.
"I send her msg just before midnight saying omg I've just woke up and I'm all alone on this cold dark plane."
After a few messages, the two switched from texts to FaceTime. Unfortunately, Adams didn't realize how low her phone's battery was.
Unfortunately, with the plane shut down completely for the night, none of the outlets or USB ports were usable.
After stumbling around in the dark in a panic for a while, Tiffani managed to locate a flashlight and she was able to open the main door.
"Finally now that I have light I'm determined to unlock the door and save myself...felt like a champ when I got main door open (found all 3 latches w my lifesaver of a flashlight and open the door all the way."
She then saw how far she was from the ground and realized that jumping wasn't an option, so she attempted to use a flashlight to signal someone that she was there.
Eventually, an airport employee was driving past with a luggage cart when he saw Tiffani.
After working through the shock of finding someone dangling their legs out of a plane that was supposed to be empty and grounded for the night, he helped her down from the plane and alerted the proper authorities of the situation.
You can read Deanna's full post below:
Tiffani has since spoken to multiple Air Canada representatives, and the airline is investigating to figure out how someone could have been left on the plane.
An Air Canada representative also confirmed Tiffani's story to Mashable, and said that the airline has "followed up with the customer and remain in contact with her."
Reactions on social media were mixed, with several people asserting that Adams was simply seeking attention or gearing up to sue Air Canada.
People were more than ready to step in and defend her, though.
Many, however, sympathized with her ordeal.
A few people criticized Air Canada as well.
And, of course, there were a few "Canadians are just too polite" jokes.
The ordeal definitely took its toll on Adams, who reports having nightmares and increased anxiety. She also asked whether anyone else has had a similar experience.
Hopefully Air Canada will examine its procedures and make policy changes that ensure that nobody else ever has to experience finding themselves all alone in a dark and cold airplane.
The whole situation lends itself well to horror comedy. The zombie romance (seriously) film Warm Bodies, available here, features extended scenes on an abandoned plane.
Of course, Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L. Jackson, available here, is the ultimate comedy horror plane movie.
