A greeter at Vancouver International Airport said Monday there was no indication that Robert Dziekanski was impaired when he arrived there in October 2007.
In the first day of testimony at the Braidwood Inquiry into Dziekanski’s death, YVR greeter Patricia Hunter described the Polish immigrant as “an unusual passenger” but said there was no suggestion that he was impaired.
On Oct. 13, 2007, Hunter was working in the customs hall at YVR when she noticed Dziekanski by himself after the rest of the passengers on his flight had cleared customs.
The 40-year-old was walking steadily and “robot-like” and was staring straight ahead. She walked within a foot of him and smelled no odours, but said he had a sheen of sweat on his upper lip.
Earlier in the morning, Christiane Hewer, a Vancouver librarian who was on Dziekanski’s flight from Frankfurt, said was he was “totally calm” and spent much of the flight sleeping.
“He was totally inconspicuous, in his seat just like everybody else.”
Adolf Buettner, the chief attendant on that flight, said he didn’t smell alcohol but did remember Dziekanski because he was sweating and did not react when Buettner said “good day” in German and English.
Earlier, Jesus Fernandez, the chief flight attendant on Dziekanski’s flight from Poland to Frankfurt, said he smelled alcohol on the breath of a man who may have been Dziekanski and warned him not to have anymore or he might not be allowed to fly.
