Air Transat is blaming Ottawa airport for their latest fiasco, and yet it is amazing how other airlines were able to get their craft refuelled...if you don't ask, they shall not come.
Sorry Scare Transat, but I'm more apt to believe Ottawa airport's side of the story than yours...1 craft and I might have leaned your way, but both the Rome and Brussels flights?..I'm leaning more to the Ottawa airport side of the issue that indeed the airport authority had been in contact with Transat's local ground handler crew and had items ready for passengers to depart/aircraft refuelled..the inquiry should be rather interesting especially with many former customers comments (hey Air Transat, can you say Azore's glider)

Most seem to forget all international flights require Immigration & Custom service before passengers are allowed to deplane. During the 9/11 event passengers waited 3-4hrs before deplaning. I believe servicing a situation like this would be in effect be the so called de-sterilizing of the plane as required by Customs & Immigration.

What Air Transat did was inhumane no doubt about it, most because of costs.

If we assume that Transat does not have a ground handling contract in Ottawa then they would be obligated to pay an hourly rate for an Air Conditioning truck and have potable water boarded through another airline. My guess is that they simply didn't want to pay the extra cost.

I'm thinking that we should have heard of 911 calls from passengers trapped on the tarmac before this. Maybe it happened, but the genie is out of the bottle. Airlines should be ready for more passengers dialing that number for help.

What did the 911 folks do? Does anyone know?

The future of private jets looks brighter all the time.

Can't help but wonder why they didn't simply dispatch ground transportation from plane to terminal.

What is wrong with greedy airlines and aircraft manufacturers. People get bigger and seats and space get smaller!

In a new development, Transat offers 400$ per passengers as show of goodwill and compassion.

Text in French:
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/201708/10/01-5123589-passagers-coinces-air-transat-offre-une-compensation-de-400-par-personne.php

Cases like this prompted in US adoption of tighter rules for internal flights.
"Three hours. Under a new federal law that went into effect April 29, 2010, that is the longest you will ever spend stranded on a plane without food, water or the ability simply to get off the plane.
The morning I am writing this, the Department of Transportation put into effect what many travelers and industry folks call an airline passenger rights bill. Among several other new rules, airlines must now provide snacks and “potable” (drinkable) water, as well as a clean lavatory, to passengers who are stranded for more than two hours; passengers stranded for more than three hours must be offered an opportunity to get off the plane. Failure to comply will result in monetary compensation to the affected travelers as well as stiff fines due the government."
https://www.smartertravel.com/2017/06/19/airline-passengers-get-new-bill-rights/

Passengers would likely have gotten quicker results had they begun calling the local TV stations and newspapers. Imagine how quickly the airline would have responded with hordes of camera crews and photographers capturing the scene for all to see.

Crap like this is another reason on a long list of reasons why I refuse to fly commercial any longer. Maybe it's time for the UN to draft an airline passengers bill of rights.

One point worth mentioning is the fact that Air Transat squeezes in 9 seats across on their A330ies instead of the usual 8, adding to the misery in this situation.

Something similar on the opposite side of the Atlantic:
https://flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/new/62058/Armed_police_called_after_angry_passengers_go_crazy_over_delayed_BA_flight_from_Heathrow

No water, no fuel, no AC, passengers in distress. Lucky for airline passengers only called 911.

What, do they have no Jet-A at Ottawa? Shutting down engines........????

I am all for getting the folks off but how do you round them up again? I think at Ottawa there are 15 or so gate positions and very little ramp parking and probably no airstairs so the only thing is to keep them on board. Fuel however should have been loaded to keep the apu running or an air conditioning cart used if available. This is where CYMX would have been better but again probably not enough security personnel. Where is the Westjet guy to order "pizza" when you need him?