Strict security checks at Canadian airports causes headaches for author

Stringent and sometimes inexplicable security checks at Canadian airports have caused prominent Calgary-based author Jaspreet Singh numerous headaches and frustration over the past few weeks. According to a report in the Globe and Mail, Singh felt that he had no choice but to cancel two major appearances in Toronto scheduled for this past weekend, after Air Canada was unable to guarantee the Canadian author that he would not face the same obstacles and frustrations at the airport that he experienced on several recent trips.

Singh has referred to his treatment at Canadian airports as “Kafka-esque” and he even asked prolific Toronto-based author, Margaret Atwood, to assist him in his protest against the treatment that he has had to endure. Singh is specifically upset over the fact that on several occasions, he was blocked from using electronic self-check-in services at Canadian airports and was informed that he would have to see an agent at a desk. Once he arrived to the manned check-in counter, Singh was questioned at length by an official over the phone and was only permitted to board the aircraft after he had been warned that his name was listed on “some sort of list.” This was likely Canada’s “no fly” list, which the government created in order to help keep the skies safe from potential terrorists.

The fact that Singh’s name was, indeed, on the no-fly list was confirmed when he tried to fly from Montreal back to his home in Calgary, but was informed at the check-in counter that his name had come up on the notorious list. Singh is also frustrated by Air Canada’s seemingly callous attitude to him, when he contacted the carrier’s customer service department. An Air Canada represented allegedly suggested that Singh change his name in order to make his flying experience smoother and he was also informed that he would be required to answer the same extra security questions whenever he flew in Canada.

www.aircanada.com