A Canadian man claims he had a humiliating experience with Air Canada after the airline denied him, his wife and his small dog boarding because staff took issue with the pet's carrier size.

Montreal resident Owen Smith* said that he has travelled with his wife and bichon frise, Hanna, several times over the past years, mainly to Mexico on Air Canada and Aeromexico flights. They have used the same small, soft-sided dog carrier on their trips.

He added that the couple had never experienced issues travelling with their dog before. However, that all changed on July 10 when they were waiting to board their Air Canada flight from Mexico City to Toronto.

Smith claims the couple were denied entry because Air Canada staff at the boarding counter saw Hanna and said that both she and her carrier were too big to board the flight. However, Smith refutes this claim.

What are Air Canada's rules for pets in the cabin?

According to Air Canada's website, a pet carrier counts as one standard carry-on item. The animal must remain in the closed carrier in the seat in front of the passenger.

"Your pet's carrier must be big enough to allow them to stand up, turn around and lie down safely and comfortably, with no part of them extending outside the carrier," states the airline. "Your pet could be refused travel if the carrier is deemed to be too small for them."

Air Canada

There are two types of carriers customers can bring on board. A hard-sided case must be no more than 23 cm in height, 40 cm wide and 55 cm long.  A soft-sided carrier (which Smith said he uses with his dog) must be a maximum of 27 cm tall, 40 cm wide and 55 cm long.

Air Canada also notes that only one cat or small dog in the cabin is allowed per passenger.

Denied boarding

Smith said that before boarding at the Air Canada gate counter, a staff member took issue with Hanna's soft carrier, claiming it was 32 cm tall. They also said that the dog was too big.

Smith says that Hanna weighs around seven kilograms and that her carrier was no more than the 27 cm height limit. It's the same carrier he used to travel with Hanna on the Air Canada flight he and his wife took to Mexico. He noted he had used this carrier for Hanna for several years while flying.

"I thought it was an error, or maybe I misheard that. It took me a bit to understand what was happening because my dog is a small bichon compliant to travel in the cabin," Smith told us.

He said he tried to explain and show the staff member the dimensions of Hanna's carrier matched those on the website.

The attendant said she needed to speak with her manager about the type of carrier Smith had and came back and informed him that his party would not be able to board the flight.

A photo of Smith’s dog, Hanna, and the carrier she flies in. (Supplied)

This resulted in a back-and-forth between the dog owner and Air Canada staff and management, with Smith adding that the airline's employees were "completely blinded on a power trip."

At one point, Smith said a fellow passenger travelling with their cat in a carrier size similar to Hanna's tried to help the situation.

"He even came by to dialogue and help us to compare sizes of both carriers, but the employees were now going personal towards us."

Smith said he tried to go to various airport shops to find a carrier that would accommodate the staff's "nonsense demands." He found two additional carriers and brought them to the staff. Smith said staff argued that Hanna was "too cramped" in these carriers.

The situation escalated to the point where authorities got involved.

"After taking all this humiliation for hours, I banged at the counter and complained about their lack of empathy, training and customer care focus. This was the perfect excuse for them to stand their ground and even call the police on us," said Smith.

"To their surprise, the cops were on our side because we were right, but they kept arguing nonsense and kept saying my dog was too big, the same as her carrier," he claimed.

We have reached out to Mexico City Airport and Mexico City Police for more details about this alleged altercation.

Air Canada responds

In a statement, Air Canada said it requires all pets travelling in-cabin be in kennels that meet IATA (International Air Transport Association) standards.

"Among other safeguards for the pet's well-being, these require that pets are able to stand up and turn around in the kennel, which must be able to fit under the seat in front," said an airline representative.

"Neither kennels provided by the passenger were large enough to allow their pet to do this, contrary to IATA and Air Canada requirements and putting the pet at risk of discomfort or worse."

Air Canada said it advised the customer about these restrictions "out of concern for the pet's well-being," but after this, they "became disruptive and airport security became involved."

"Consequently, the passenger and pet did not travel on the flight."

Smith also provided a response he received from the airline after filing a complaint.

In the email, an Air Canada representative said that Hanna "protruded" from the first soft kennel that was presented. However, in Smith's response, he was adamant that he had flown with this carrier many times and "never" had an issue with it.

"On the second attempt with your new kennel, your pet was too cramped inside the smaller kennel and could not even stand on its own two feet," wrote the Air Canada representative.

"Furthermore, we remind you that the ground staff members you encountered prior to the departure of your flight are our customer service representatives," stated Air Canada.

"Any form of riotous behaviour, including shouting, assaults, kicking, verbal threats and physical assaults, is completely unacceptable. The size of your pet did not meet the required measurements; Air Canada was unable to proceed with the transportation arrangement."

Booking another flight

Smith said he and his wife were left with no other option than to book another flight. He added that he needed to get to Toronto for business meetings, and getting home the next day was important. He booked an Uber and found a hotel to stay for the night.

The couple managed to book a flight back on Aeromexico for $3,000. He said they experienced no issues with Hanna's carrier on that flight. Smith said he had contacted Air Canada and the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA). The airline responded to him but only offered to compensate him for his baggage and pet fees.

While Smith awaits a further response from CTA, he emphasized that the entire situation has been humiliating.

"This is not about the money. It is to prevent other Canadian travellers from the abuse we experienced by three inept, unskilled employees at Mexico City and also the lack of caring and empathy from [Air Canada] corporate towards their customers," he stated.

"We are practically indefensible and at the mercy of the poor criteria of their employees and their mood."

*Name has been changed for privacy reasons.