After the Assembly of First Nations鈥� national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.

鈥淚t must have been a generic response,鈥� Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview, calling the entire experience 鈥渉umiliating鈥� and 鈥渦nbelievable.鈥�

Woodhouse Nepinak said in a social media post Thursday (April 25) that her headdress and its case were taken away and put in a garbage bag.

She clarified Friday the case was removed from the flight, but she was able to hold her headdress throughout the trip after pleading with staff.

Air Canada said in a statement Friday morning that it reached out directly to Woodhouse Nepinak to apologize and 鈥渂etter understand鈥� her experience. It added it is also following up on the matter internally and reviewing its policies.

During the flight from Fredericton to Montreal on Wednesday, the national chief said an Air Canada staff member approached her and said: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 have that in here.鈥�

Woodhouse Nepinak said she told them she wouldn鈥檛 part with her headdress.

Still, the crew took it and its case and put garbage bags around them, she said, before she managed to convince them that her headdress should be taken back out.

Photos Woodhouse Nepinak posted online show the case covered in a clear plastic bag, with staff members hauling it on the tarmac to be loaded under the plane.

鈥淚 was kind of stunned at that moment,鈥� she recounted.

鈥淭here was lots of Canadians trying to help me in that moment and realizing they shouldn鈥檛 be handling my items like that.鈥�

鈥淭his was a mistake that I know Air Canada is looking into right now,鈥� Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said about the incident during an unrelated news conference Friday in Bromont, Que.

鈥淚t is an unfortunate situation that I hope is going to lead to a bit of learning 鈥� not just by Air Canada, but a lot of different institutions.鈥�

Trudeau said the Truth and Reconciliation Commission鈥檚 94 calls to action should prompt industry and Canadians to be responsible partners who have a sense of understanding about the cultural importance of items such as this.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters in Toronto that he met with Woodhouse Nepinak by chance at an airport in Montreal shortly after the incident, and she shared with him how she felt 鈥渄isrespected.鈥�

He said he supports calls from the national chief for a policy to ensure a situation like this never happens again, and added there are 鈥渇ar too many鈥� examples of Indigenous Peoples being disrespected.

The grand chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Alvin Fiddler called the ordeal 鈥渟hameful.鈥�

And Cody Thomas, the grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, said he is 鈥渄eeply concerned and disappointed.鈥�

鈥淚t is essential that employees are educated about the diverse cultures and traditions of the passengers they serve to ensure that such incidents are never repeated,鈥� Thomas said in a statement.

Air Canada said it is looking to learn from the 鈥渞egrettable incident鈥� and ensure 鈥渟pecial items such as this鈥� can consistently remain in the cabin with travellers.

鈥淎ir Canada understands the importance of accommodating customers with items and symbols of sacred cultural significance,鈥� the statement says.

鈥淚n the past the chiefs have been able to travel while transporting their headdress in their cases in the cabin, but this time the case was difficult to carry in the cabin due to stowage space limitations on the Dash-8 aircraft.鈥�

Woodhouse Nepinak called her headdress one of the highest honours First Nations peoples can receive, noting it鈥檚 not something that can just be purchased in a store.

鈥淲hen I wear it, I鈥檓 representing and speaking for our people,鈥� she said.

鈥淭aking it out there (on the plane) and having all these different people handling it 鈥� that鈥檚 not the way we handle our items. 鈥� It鈥檚 a respect thing.鈥�

Asked why she decided to speak publicly about the incident, Woodhouse Nepinak said this situation isn鈥檛 one she wants to be in, but 鈥淐reator put it on my lap to go through, and I鈥檓 walking through it hoping that we come out of this better.鈥�

She said she spoke with the president and CEO of the airline on Friday morning and told him they need to do better, including by appointing a First Nations person to their board.

She also wants them to have cross-cultural training for staff.

Woodhouse Nepinak said she expects to meet with Air Canada again about the saga and is inviting the person who made the headdress for her to come along.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press