Air Canada ordered to pay Montreal doctor $1,000 for mid-air consultation

Published: Thursday, July 9, 2009 | 7:08 PM ET

Canadian Press THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL - Air Canada (TSX:AC.B) has been ordered to pay a Montreal doctor $1,000 in compensation for having to perform medical duties during an international flight in 2006.

That is less than the $3,058 initially sought by Dr. Henry Coopersmith, which he calculated as the equivalent of an executive-class fare, the value of medical services rendered and compensation for a day of vacation lost.

A judge in small claims court determined Coopersmith deserved a fee for services and compensation for the inconvenience, but that rewarding the full value of a flight would be exaggerated.

Coopersmith and his wife were on a Montreal-Paris flight on Oct. 11, 2006, when cabin crew implored him to help a woman who was suffering from an anxiety attack.

Coopersmith also had to fill out numerous forms and claimed he did not get any sleep during the transatlantic flight.

The Montreal physician has said he wanted airlines to be held accountable for doctors who provide emergency services during a flight