A court has ordered Canada Air to pay a French-speaking couple 21,000 CAD (roughly $16,000) and write them an apology letter because the airline did not equally display signs in English and French.

Canadian law requires English and French to be given equal prominence in many business settings. The Ontario couple, Michel and Lynda Thibodeau, filed 22 complaints against the airline in 2016 for violating their linguistic rights. Among the allegations:

• The word “lift” that is engraved on the seatbelts was in English but not French
• French translations of “exit” were in smaller characters
• The English language boarding announcement was more thorough than the French version

According to news reports, this was not the first time the couple went up against Canada Air. In 2009, the couple filed complaints stating that:

• They had asked for 7Up in French, but the flight attendant served them Sprite instead
• Allegedly there was no translation of an announcement made by the pilot about the arrival time and weather for one of his flights

Similar complaints were reported in 2000 as well. In the past, the court has also ruled in favor of the couple, but removed the monetary damages.

—Source: onemileatatime.com