A judge ordered Air Canada to pay 21,000 Canadian dollars to a French-speaking couple and also write them an apology letter for breaching their linguistic rights.
The couple – Michel and Lynda Thibodeau – hailing from Ontario filed over 20 against the airline in the year 2016, according to a report by BBC.
The couple argued that the word “lift” was engraved on the buckles of their seatbelts in English but not in French, while French translations of words such as “exit” were in smaller characters.
They also said the English-language announcement regarding boarding for their Montreal-bound flight was more thorough compared to the French version.
Ruling that the airline had violated Canada’s bilingualism laws, the Judge agreed that the airline had “not upheld its linguistic obligations”.
The flag carrier is subject to the country’s Official Languages Act, a Canadian law which aims to ensure that the federal government of Canada provide services to English and French-speaking Canadians in the language of their choice.
According to reports, Air Canada told the court it would work to replace the signs.
