A woman fell asleep mid-flight and woke up trapped in a dark plane alone
 

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When Tiffani O’Brien opened her eyes, she was still in the same place she fell asleep — strapped into her seat aboard an Air Canada flight bound for Toronto.

Only, something wasn’t right. The entire plane was empty, O’Brien wrote in a Facebook post shared last week by her friend on her behalf. She was “freezing cold” and sitting in “complete darkness.” It was around midnight and her flight, which left Quebec City that evening, had landed hours earlier.

“I thought, ‘This is a nightmare,’ ” O’Brien, who is from St. Thomas, Ontario, told CTV News in an interview that aired over the weekend. “ ‘This is not happening. I’m having a bad dream. Wake up, Tiffani.’ ”

But O’Brien says what she experienced was very real, and the Canadian airline is now looking into how a sleeping passenger could have been left behind, the Associated Press reported. Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment late Sunday but confirmed to the AP that the incident did happen.


Morning Mix
‘This is a nightmare’: A woman fell asleep mid-flight and woke up trapped in a dark plane alone

Tiffani O’Brien wrote that Air Canada has called her twice to “apologize for my inconvenience” and said the company would investigate after she fell asleep on a flight to Toronto and was left alone on the plane. (Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa USA/AP)
By Allyson Chiu June 24
When Tiffani O’Brien opened her eyes, she was still in the same place she fell asleep — strapped into her seat aboard an Air Canada flight bound for Toronto.

Only, something wasn’t right. The entire plane was empty, O’Brien wrote in a Facebook post shared last week by her friend on her behalf. She was “freezing cold” and sitting in “complete darkness.” It was around midnight and her flight, which left Quebec City that evening, had landed hours earlier.

“I thought, ‘This is a nightmare,’ ” O’Brien, who is from St. Thomas, Ontario, told CTV News in an interview that aired over the weekend. “ ‘This is not happening. I’m having a bad dream. Wake up, Tiffani.’ ”

But O’Brien says what she experienced was very real, and the Canadian airline is now looking into how a sleeping passenger could have been left behind, the Associated Press reported. Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment late Sunday but confirmed to the AP that the incident did happen.


“We are still reviewing this matter so we have no additional details to share, but we have followed up with the customer and remain in contact with her,” the airline said.

Since going through the event earlier this month, O’Brien said she’s suffered from insomnia and “reoccurring night terrors,” according to the Facebook post, which her friend Deanna Noel-Dale shared to Air Canada’s official page Wednesday. The post identified the passenger as “Tiffani Adams,” but in a message to The Washington Post, Noel-Dale confirmed that her friend’s legal name is O’Brien.

Noel-Dale added that she and O’Brien were declining to comment further on the incident, citing advice from a lawyer.


Morning Mix
‘This is a nightmare’: A woman fell asleep mid-flight and woke up trapped in a dark plane alone

Tiffani O’Brien wrote that Air Canada has called her twice to “apologize for my inconvenience” and said the company would investigate after she fell asleep on a flight to Toronto and was left alone on the plane. (Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa USA/AP)
By Allyson Chiu June 24
When Tiffani O’Brien opened her eyes, she was still in the same place she fell asleep — strapped into her seat aboard an Air Canada flight bound for Toronto.

Only, something wasn’t right. The entire plane was empty, O’Brien wrote in a Facebook post shared last week by her friend on her behalf. She was “freezing cold” and sitting in “complete darkness.” It was around midnight and her flight, which left Quebec City that evening, had landed hours earlier.

“I thought, ‘This is a nightmare,’ ” O’Brien, who is from St. Thomas, Ontario, told CTV News in an interview that aired over the weekend. “ ‘This is not happening. I’m having a bad dream. Wake up, Tiffani.’ ”

But O’Brien says what she experienced was very real, and the Canadian airline is now looking into how a sleeping passenger could have been left behind, the Associated Press reported. Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment late Sunday but confirmed to the AP that the incident did happen.


“We are still reviewing this matter so we have no additional details to share, but we have followed up with the customer and remain in contact with her,” the airline said.

Since going through the event earlier this month, O’Brien said she’s suffered from insomnia and “reoccurring night terrors,” according to the Facebook post, which her friend Deanna Noel-Dale shared to Air Canada’s official page Wednesday. The post identified the passenger as “Tiffani Adams,” but in a message to The Washington Post, Noel-Dale confirmed that her friend’s legal name is O’Brien.

Noel-Dale added that she and O’Brien were declining to comment further on the incident, citing advice from a lawyer.


In the post, O’Brien wrote that she was heading home by herself on June 9 after having “the most incredible time” with Noel-Dale during a weekend trip to Quebec City, located about 160 miles northeast of Montreal. The flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport was only about a quarter full, so O’Brien scored an entire row of seats to herself. O’Brien told CTV News she was seated in 32A, near the middle of the plane.


Morning Mix
‘This is a nightmare’: A woman fell asleep mid-flight and woke up trapped in a dark plane alone

Tiffani O’Brien wrote that Air Canada has called her twice to “apologize for my inconvenience” and said the company would investigate after she fell asleep on a flight to Toronto and was left alone on the plane. (Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa USA/AP)
By Allyson Chiu June 24
When Tiffani O’Brien opened her eyes, she was still in the same place she fell asleep — strapped into her seat aboard an Air Canada flight bound for Toronto.

Only, something wasn’t right. The entire plane was empty, O’Brien wrote in a Facebook post shared last week by her friend on her behalf. She was “freezing cold” and sitting in “complete darkness.” It was around midnight and her flight, which left Quebec City that evening, had landed hours earlier.

“I thought, ‘This is a nightmare,’ ” O’Brien, who is from St. Thomas, Ontario, told CTV News in an interview that aired over the weekend. “ ‘This is not happening. I’m having a bad dream. Wake up, Tiffani.’ ”

But O’Brien says what she experienced was very real, and the Canadian airline is now looking into how a sleeping passenger could have been left behind, the Associated Press reported. Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment late Sunday but confirmed to the AP that the incident did happen.


“We are still reviewing this matter so we have no additional details to share, but we have followed up with the customer and remain in contact with her,” the airline said.

Since going through the event earlier this month, O’Brien said she’s suffered from insomnia and “reoccurring night terrors,” according to the Facebook post, which her friend Deanna Noel-Dale shared to Air Canada’s official page Wednesday. The post identified the passenger as “Tiffani Adams,” but in a message to The Washington Post, Noel-Dale confirmed that her friend’s legal name is O’Brien.

Noel-Dale added that she and O’Brien were declining to comment further on the incident, citing advice from a lawyer.


In the post, O’Brien wrote that she was heading home by herself on June 9 after having “the most incredible time” with Noel-Dale during a weekend trip to Quebec City, located about 160 miles northeast of Montreal. The flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport was only about a quarter full, so O’Brien scored an entire row of seats to herself. O’Brien told CTV News she was seated in 32A, near the middle of the plane.


“I got super comfy reading my book,” she wrote on Facebook, and fell asleep less than halfway through the roughly 90-minute trip.

When she woke up, her nightmare began.

Alone and surrounded by “pitch black” darkness, O’Brien wrote that she initially thought she was dreaming. But reality soon dawned on her: She was trapped on an empty plane.

Grabbing her phone, O’Brien exchanged frantic text messages with Noel-Dale, who had been waiting for her friend to check in after landing, CTV News reported.

“I just woke up alone in plane,” O’Brien texted Noel-Dale at 11:45 p.m., according to messages published by CTV News.

“What?!!!” Noel-Dale responded. “You should almost be home!!!! Nobody woke you up?!!!!”

In another text, Noel-Dale asked if O’Brien could get off the plane. No, O’Brien replied, the door was shut.

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I've flown a lot and I can honestly say I've only experienced a really smooth landing a couple of times. Usually it's enough to wake the soundest sleeper. I hope she helped herself to the duty free while she waited.

Sure kit can help

...that’s completely terrifying, it would feel like something from a horror movie...poor woman..:sad:..

She must have been completely out because there is so much movement and noise and general bumping in to people on landing and disembarking

I guess there is always one :laugh:

This article really hits home on the 4th time of reading

:joker:

must have been a recurring nightmare :laugh:

I think I'd be quite amused if I woke up sat on the plane and everyone was gone :think:. But, I'd be worried if someone had been waiting for me at the airport, as surely they'd be in a confused panic about their vanished family member.

I have "done a Ross from Friends" before though as a teenager; fell asleep on my train home in the morning with a hangover, woke up 4 stops (and 50+ miles) past my stop [emoji30]

Also one of my friends fell asleep on a bench in Glasgow Central Station and was woken up 4 hours later by a concerned little old lady :joker:. Its a busy station so I guess it is possible to sleep through a lot of hustle and bustle if you're tired enough!

Oh I did this on the tube back in the day, went passed my stop all the way to the end of the line, back to the opposite end and the second time I passed my stop and got to the end again a guy working there woke me up and told me it was my second time there :skull: Luckily it was the early hours and the tube was quiet

Kerching.

So her phone was working, why didn’t she just ring the police to get her out..instead of her mate?

Honestly if I woke up already disorientated from sleep but into a bizarre situation like that I'd probably ring my mom or Gav first :laugh: I thought the article said her phone died though before she could ring anyone?

She managed to let her friend know, told her she was locked in.
I thought the cleaners went on the planes after everyone left as well.
Maybe it’s different in Canada:shrug:

So presumably the friend would contact the airport/police? Why is that an issue?

I wouldn’t say it’s an issue.
More the point than her being so frightened yet she didn’t ring the police for help.:shrug:

Planes usually have a quick turnaround where they get the passengers off, clean and restock ready for the return journey. If its the end of the flying day though, there will be an overnight period where the airport basically shuts down, so she was lucky not to be stuck there until the morning in reality

If I was frightened I probably wouldn't ring the Police first either, I'd ring someone close to me to get some comfort and ask them to ring the police

ETA Her phone died as she was talking to her friend