A passenger aboard a Porter flight on Monday said that she was asked to change seats to accommodate another passenger who she says would not sit beside a woman for religious reasons.

Christine Flynn, executive chef for iQ Food Co. in Toronto’s financial district, said that she was buckled in her seat, awaiting takeoff on a flight from Newark back home to Toronto, when a man wearing ultra-Orthodox Jewish garb walked down the aisle to his assigned seat beside her.

Looking “bewildered,” Flynn said that the man “swivelled around to the gentleman across the aisle . . . and just said ‘change,’ ” without acknowledging her.

Porter spokesperson Brad Cicero confirmed that Flynn was asked by an airline attendant if she would be willing to move but would not say the reason the request was made. Cicero also maintained “she was not ever put in the position of being told to move.”

Cicero also said that changes are now being made to Porter policy, and that new, specific examples will be incorporated into instructions given to crew members regarding their behaviour in airports and on flights.

It was not the need for religious accommodation, but her exclusion from the conversation that offended her, Flynn explained.

“If this man had made eye contact with me, if he said ‘I’m very sorry but because of my religion I’m forbidden’ . . . I would have absolutely moved, I would have had no problem with that, but to not be included in the conversation, to take away my words and my right to choose . . . this is the 21st century,” she said.

“For me, this isn’t about religion, I really have no problem with anyone’s religion, but it’s really a problem for me that no one thought that asking a woman to move was wrong.”

Flynn told the Star that after the first person he asked to move said no, she watched as her neighbour turned to another male passenger, sitting one row behind, and ask again to change, this time “gestur(ing) his ticket” at Flynn.

“And while all of this was going on I’m sort of realizing, ‘Oh, the problem is me,’ ” Flynn said.

“The airline attendant came down and said . . . ‘Is there an issue here?’ And I said, ‘this man is refusing to sit next to me because I’m a woman,’ ” she told the Star.

Flynn says that the airline attendant did not dispute Flynn’s understanding or address the man’s concern directly, but asked if she would be willing to move seats.

It was as if I was the problem, Flynn said, adding she felt there was “no moment of ‘I’m sorry this is happening to you.’ ”

Flynn refused to move. “This is ridiculous . . . this is discrimination,” she told The Star.

The flight attendant then sought someone else to switch seats with the man, and another passenger volunteered.

Cicero said in an interview that Flynn was initially asked to switch because the first volunteer, a man, was also sitting beside a woman, which would have required two people to move.

The flight attendant “was just looking for the most expedient way” to facilitate the request and prepare the flight for departure, Cicero told The Star. Airline attendants are told to use “good judgment,” “to treat people fairly and respectfully,” when addressing such requests, he said.

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Cicero explained that if the passenger had insisted upon being seated beside a man, but other passengers been unable or unwilling to change seats, a seat would have been offered to him on the next available flight.

“We would not ask anyone to move if they didn’t want to, but this was one option in this scenario that (the flight attendant) asked her about.”

He said such requests are uncommon, he said that if requests can be accommodated, Porter staff will do their best to do so.

“At the same time, if there’s any disruption or a situation where a passenger is not being respectful either towards crew or passengers then that may very well be dealt with in a different manner.”

Flynn said that Porter has since emailed her, affirming that she was under no obligation to change seats and said that their policy is now under review.

While Porter does not currently have any specific policy for such incidents, Cicero explained that the changes will include adding examples of this type of interaction to the classes provided to the crew.

“If there was any lack of clarity before, we want to make sure that that’s not the case going forward,” Cicero said.

Flynn said she was pleased with the potential change of policy. “Let’s move forward . . . let’s come up with a plan.”

While Flynn said she did not seek public attention, she hopes that this incident will incite further dialogue: “Let’s have a conversation with groups that have these issues, and maybe find out a little bit about why.”

Correction - September 22, 2015: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said the male passenger was wearing traditional Orthodox Jewish garb.