Tiffani Adams says she fell asleep while flying from Quebec to Toronto earlier this month and woke up alone on the parked plane.
She texted a friend to tell her where she was and then another setback came after her phone died.
She says she then went to the cockpit to find anything that could help.
"I was so scared that I'm going to touch something that's wrong, but I knew I had to do something, and I found a flashlight, and I was so happy. It was like the best moment ever," Adams said.
She says she managed to open the door of the cockpit and was eventually rescued by ground crews.
Air Canada has confirmed the incident and is investigating.