An airline passenger has blasted student travellers for selfishly delaying Sunday?s Air Canada llight for a day.

It?s arrival was delayed because of snowstorms in Toronto, while technical difficulties caused it to stay on the runway for hours while the problem was fixed.

Passengers were asked to stay onboard to allow a quick getaway once the problem was solved. Crew members are only allowed to work a certain amount of hours before they are forced by airline regulations to take a break.

But around 25-30 people elected to disembark the plane anyway and the unloading and reloading luggage, as well as caring for other passengers, pushed the crew beyond their maximum working hours.

Passenger John Rule said: ?The crew informed all passengers that because of security measures, should passengers decide to disembark, all luggage would have to be off loaded and then reloaded, and that in all likelihood this could not be accomplished in time to permit the flight to continue.

?Despite many passengers, students and non-students pleading with these malcontents to remain, they chose to disembark, and after another substantial delay, the flight was cancelled. ?One student even made an obscene comment to business passengers in response to our pleas that they allow the flight to continue.

?My guess is that the students saw an opportunity to miss the first day of school, and cared not a wit for the inconvenience and financial costs to the airline and their fellow passengers.

?While the crew was very polite and helpful, there was a near total breakdown of the Captain?s authority, which could have posed a threat to the safety of passengers.

?It strikes me as absurd that a few spoiled children could be permitted to control the flight because as a senior crew member said, ?we can?t force people to stay on the plane?.?

Mr. Rule said it was outrageous that passengers were forced to remain on the aircraft for nearly six hours, and then forced to stand in line to receive transportation and hotel vouchers. ?Air Canada, not for the first time in our experience, demonstrated why monopoly creates bad service, and why Air Canada in particular deserves to suffer the financial woes of recent years.

?Finally, let me say, that we absolutely loved our time in Bermuda and that without exception, every Bermudian we met was friendly and welcoming to the utmost.

?We will most definitely be returning to your beautiful island, (though not on Air Canada) and and strongly recommending a visit to friends and family!?