Rude workers top the list of airport security complaints in Montreal

Rude remarks, overzealous baggage searches and irritation with security screening officers who appeared to be on a "power trip" were some of the complaints flagged by hundreds of travellers who went through airport security in Montreal over the past few years.

The complaints ranged from minor annoyances such as having an item seized or finding a crumpled dress shirt after their luggage was searched, to more serious allegations of racial profiling, uncomfortable pat downs and no bilingual service.

The 313 complaints were made to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) between January 2020 and June 2023. Copies were obtained under the Access to Information Act.

The most common gripe was with what passengers saw as rude, unprofessional behaviour. Some wrote in to express their "outrage" at their perceived mistreatment at the hands of screening officers.

"Your agents should be ashamed" of treating passengers this way, wrote one complainant. Another expressed shock at the "disrespectful and arrogant" behaviour of security staff.

Others alleged security screening officers used their position to intimidate travellers.

Last year, a family stuck in a long, slow-moving line wrote that they began to worry they'd miss their connecting flight. Although an officer reassured them it would be fine, they decided to make a note of the agent's name in case they made a complaint.

That's when the officer got upset and asked if there was a problem, which they denied. The complainant said the officer replied, "Oh, this is how you want to play it? I'll show you how you play with me!"

The family said they were then subjected to what they felt was excessive screening.

Another woman who suffers from a chronic disease that affects strength, energy and her ability to stand for long periods of time, claims a female agent began screaming at her to collect her luggage bins.

In an online exchange with CBC News, the woman, who asked that her name be withheld because she wanted to keep the details of her disability private, described the officer as "an absolute tyrant and quite verbally abusive."

"It is hard enough to be disabled — then people who are in authority yell at you when you are doing your best to be independent," she said.

A small number of travellers questioned if racial profiling or discrimination was at play when they went through screening.

A complainant, who identified as a non-white, wrote CATSA to say they were singled out for additional baggage inspection before they even reached the security check area.