Canada -
News Sections
Travellers vent anger at Air Canada's holiday delays
Font-size: 
Share 
Print
Comments(161)
Facebook
Twitter
DIGG
StumbleUpon
Newsvine
Reddit
delicious
Yahoo! BuzzCTV.ca News Staff
Date: Mon. Dec. 29 2008 2:08 PM ET
The Consumers Association of Canada says they've received more than 200 complaints from travellers over the past week about flight cancellations and delays that disrupted their Christmas holidays.
CAC spokesperson Bruce Cran told CTV's Canada AM on Monday many of the complaints were from frustrated Air Canada passengers. Snowstorms and bad weather across the country last week forced airlines to reduce service or cancel dozens of flights.
On Christmas Eve, Air Canada cancelled all short- and medium-haul flights to and from Vancouver for the day. Long delays also left passengers stranded in airports across Canada.
"They're complaining in one case that they took 24 hours to get from Vancouver to Toronto, with 12 hours on the tarmac," Cran said.
He said the complaints have ranged from customers upset about being charged again for a rescheduled flight to anger over lost baggage and staff rudeness.
The number of complaints -- which were still coming in on Monday -- is astonishing, says Cran. He told CTV.ca the organization usually gets about two or three airline complaints a month, not the 200-plus they've received in a span of just a few days.
Cran said many unhappy Air Canada customers called the CAC just to praise the airline's competition.
"About one quarter of the calls we had were not complaints at all. They were crediting WestJet with pulling Air Canada's chestnuts out of the fire by helping people get on WestJet flights when they couldn't be accommodated on Air Canada," he said.
Cran said Ottawa needs to act to protect consumers rights, noting that he doesn't have much faith in Canada's new air passenger's rights legislation.
The Conservative government amended Canada's transportation act in 2007, embarking in the fall on a campaign to better inform the travelling public of their rights as consumers.
"Flights Rights Canada" requires domestic carriers to prominently display their terms and conditions of carriage at their business offices and post this information on their websites.
New legislation requires:
- carriers to address matters such as compensation if passengers are denied boarding as a result of overbooking, delays, cancellations, passenger re-routing, and lost and damaged baggage
- airlines to provide vouchers for food and hotel if a flight is delayed (dependent on the length of the delay)
- airlines to try and inform passengers of delays, schedule changes, and reasons for delays
Passengers may also seek a refund of direct expenses incurred, if an air carrier has not lived up to its published commitments. And, if a complaint is not resolved, passengers can contact the Canadian Transportation Agency, an administrative tribunal with quasi-judicial powers.
Cran says the new legislation is basically "toothless."
"Any rights are removed immediately when weather is involved. There's really nothing there at all. I'm very dubious about it," he said.
Cran noted the CAC will work with Ottawa in 2009 to come up with new rules to better protect airline travellers.
Comments are now closed for this story
Charles
0
said
0
Chris
0
said
0
I had a connector flight cancelled on me in Toronto without being told by Air Canada at my departure point. They're excuse was that there wasn't enough passengers on that flight so they cancelled it. I was forced to wait 9 hours for the next flight out. They've got to straighten up or fold!!!
BlairJ
0
said
0
Inconvenient – Yes.
An infringement of consumer rights - No.
We live in Canada folks and it snows and it blows in winter … if you travel by air, or by rail, or by car you should know that winter travel means the potential for delays and disruption … that’s just Canada in the winter and not an infringement on your consumer rights.
CC
0
said
0
Gary from Ottawa
0
said
0
My only beef with the airlines is they should not be allowed to keep people on the tarmac for hours. They should only be loading up the plane when they are ready for departure. Planes are not that comfortable.
mike
0
said
0
Bruce
0
said
0
ian
0
said
0
quadrophenia
0
said
0
Ted
0
said
0
Shane Albrecht
0
said
0
Cath Done
0
said
0
gavin - regina
0
said
0
Don - disgusted with AC
0
said
0
my 2 cents
0
said
0
Throughout the process we were made to feel respected at every step. I didn't hear a single customer complaining about their treatment, or even about the delay. The reason they didn't complain is that Westjet made sure we were all taken care of to the best of their ability. They didn't try to make us feel like we were inconveniencing them at all.
All I can say is FLY WESTJET or stop complaining about your treatment with Air Canada.
chris
0
said
0
gh in mississauga
0
said
0
you live in Canada, it snows, sometimes a lot!
AC does not control the weather.
Next year give yourself a buffer, book flights for the 21st or 22nd, not the 24th!
John
0
said
0
kate brown
0
said
0
Peter
0
said
0
Sean Morriss
0
said
0
I also put into my contractors contracts that they cannot fly Air Canada performing work for me {very substantial $$}
Alan D
0
said
0
Ed
0
said
0
To Air Canada... "Grow up and take a leaf from WestJet's manual. You are only getting what you deserve. For too long you were a Crown Corporation suckling at the public teat. You need a massive culture change."
Michelle
0
said
0
Air Canada should start taking notes before they start begging for a bail out.
Al
0
said
0
I switched to WestJet from Air Canada more than 3 years ago (after so many lost/delayed bags) and i'm glad i did that.. One of my best decisions in the past 3 years!
MATT
0
said
0
air canada hasn't changed
0
said
0
fact is this, air canada has cruddy customer service (i also love their booking fee of $20 if you have to call them to book a flight instead of using the internet) has poor management skills and should have gone under a long time ago! i hope that more canadians see this after this christmas and they they decide to use the one thing still within our power (the almighty dollar) to show air canada that they are no longer the air carrier of choice to many canadians.
either fly right or get out of the skies.
Mark
0
said
0
GO West Jet
Car from Alberta
0
said
0
jarge
0
said
0
Ed
0
said
0
Ottawa should not waste time and money on this failed organization. Why not redirect that money into an airline that wants to treat paying customers with repect and courtesy.
Scott Beckingsale
0
said
0
Shawn in Montréal
0
said
0
– either another flight at NO COST to the client, after all they paid for the flight already and it’s not as if the passenger missed their flight there WAS no flight…
- they arrange alternate transportation, bus, rent a car, train whatever.
- or they refund. Yes the dreaded R-word. I can assure you that alone would shut up a lot of complainers… Even for weather related cancellations. Let’s face it the flight didn’t take off, they still have their fuel, the food and so on
Once on the train from Québec City to Halifax the train was unable to get past Moncton. They rented buses at THEIR expense and loaded them up with our luggage, us AND sandwiches and beverages. Sure it was not as comfortable as the train and it took a couple extra hours, but we reached our destination – safe and sound. (I know this is not the solution for all cases, but in the face of adversity you either answer the call or fail.
On my first WestJet flight (Halifax to Montréal) we were stuck on the tarmac for a little over 90 mins. De-iced, iced, and de-iced again and again. The staff opened up the bar cart and offered all a free drink, not to compensate but at the very least to make a better time of the situation. No one complained and we were soon up in the air. This of course was not as severe as the past weeks issues, but it’s a lesson to be learned… such a little act has enormous effect.
I have not flown Air Canada in over a decade and I won't again for the rest of my life if I can help it. They know NOTHING of customer Service. N-O-T-H-I-N-G!
Brock Maclean
0
said
0
Brock MacLean
Vancouver
chris
0
said
0
Tom
0
said
0
Irene
0
said
0
Trent
0
said
0
Tony McCarthy
0
said
0
Dwayne Moholitny
0
said
0
Dwayne Moholitny
Edmonton, Alberta
Ann
0
said
0
pam
0
said
0
i flew with ac to bkk.....except ac only goes to tokyo and then they farm out the rest to one of their air alliance partners.
when the airport in bangkok was shut down the beginning of december because of protests.....air canada took no reponsibility,.....had totally no plan! they didn't even have a phone number to call or provide any options!!! which might not seem like much of a problem except every other airline that friends were using.....provided optional flights out of hong kong or singapore! and had daily updatetd info on their websites....air canada.....NOTHING!
my ex husband contacted air canada here in canada and they told him that i could just pay $1200 cdn to fly from hong kong to singapore!
and i was already having problems with them cause i wanted to take a stopover on my way back to vancouver...stopping for one week in tokyo! they wouldn't allow it and i had to buy a new ticket from tokyo to van. i have never not been allowed a free stopover when space is available! i ended up paying $600 cdn to fly on a flight i was already booked on!
i've known for years that ac sucks....and their inflight service REALLY sucks! but now it is confirmed...ac sucks! and i would prefer to take .....say air kazakstan or anything over them!
JD
0
said
0
YVR kept the airport open & did its best under circumstances obviously out of its control. Air Canada chose to blame YVR & scheduling problems (which is really the issue) & the bad winter weather became its excuse for poor service. Leaving passengers stranded, offering no communication to customers whatsoever is completely unacceptable. But we have heard the same complaints for years; when is Air Canada Mgt going to be held accountable? They should have been at the customer service counters but instead I am sure they were off on some Caribbean island.
Jan in Vancouver
0
said
0
Raymond (in Regina)
0
said
0
Weather permitted, people need to make allowances for that.
I myself though did have a bad experience last December flying to Thailand and back through Air Canada in terms of the scheduling and delays. In Japan though the workers they had were really nice though in handling the situation although I think we got lied to when they told us our flight back to Vancouver was cancelled and that we were re-booked to go to Toronto. Maybe it was the language barrier and they meant the flight was over booked. Anyhow, we were on our way back to Edmonton that day and had to go across Canada, only to be delayed in a snow storm in Toronto, had to wait for a new navigation unit for the plane and sit on the runway for 2 hours.
William B
0
said
0
Seasoned Traveller
0
said
0
During the holiday season the next days flights are full which creates a nightmare for both the airlines and travelling public. Further compounding the problem are crew duty times etc. Regulation dictates how long a crew can be on duty and how many hours per week can be flown.
So with cancelled flights there simply isn't any way to pick up the slack.
Add to this airport authorities that aren't equipped to handle a 15 year storm (Vancouver) and it is the total disruption of air travel.
I believe one of the problems is the lack of travel by some of the passengers. These events are not uncommon at all. What was uncommon was storms impacting many of Canada's major airports on the same day.
Mikaela
0
said
0
After running around the airport for a good 15 minutes, purchasing the bag, transferring the items etc., I joined the immigration line and was told by the customer representative that she would pull me out of the line if it appeared that I would not be able to make my flight. Well, I missed my flight and the only consolation I had was to take a flight to the neighboring city and make my way to my final destination by Greyhound.
That was the worst experience I have had with Air Canada, but certainly not the only negative one. I did not have to pay for the flight change, but that was probably because I was in tears and they felt sorry for me.
I will make every effort not to fly Air Canada, my preferred airline has become West Jet.
Will from London
0
said
0
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
...
Then you will be an airline, my son"
Dr J in SK
0
said
0
Brittany
0
said
0
Several times, I even heard staff admitting to passengers that the reason for hours of delays was the fact that there were simply no flight attendants for the flight. Even last night, my flight back to Vancouver was delayed an hour for that reason.
My five day vacation turned into three - one of which was spent on hold, waiting to speak with someone in the "central baggage office" in India. Both the Calgary and Vancouver airports were filled with luggage that showed up days after the passengers did. The mishandling of luggage has nothing to do with the snow in Vancouver. I can only imagine what everyone else is going through. I haven't seen my luggage since Wednesday, and I'm already back from my holiday. The woman I spoke to at the "central baggage office" says I can hope to see my stuff some time in the next week, though everyone I was hoping to give Christmas presents to in Calgary won't be seeing their gifts until the new year.
Todd
0
said
0
Mark
0
said
0
West Jet is a great airline and due to flight times I was forced to take Air Canada.. Those two airlines are worlds apart. I have nothing but great things to say about the friendly staff and there level of service.
stephen
0
said
0
My experience is that Air Canada management does not have clue what reaonable customer service should be.
Further I was obilged to take a much later connecting flight when the initial connection was still available. The excuse provided being one couldn't travel without one's baggage.
Ryan in Victoria
0
said
0
I will only fly WESTJET.
Dee
0
said
0
Club 24
0
said
0
But back to Air Canada, I am a world traveller and sometimes my employer books me through on them. I am consistently ashamed to deal with rude staff inside and outside the plane. Then I connect through to another airline and the customer is right and is treated as a human being.
For shame, Air Canada. Go visit WestJet, Lufthansa, Malaysia Air or Emirates and see how business is conducted.
bob from Montreal
0
said
0
On other Air Canada flights, I've had "flying chickens" as coined by the flight attendant when a tub of hot food was launched at me. Then there's food with no lid (they kept insisting it's okay for lids to go missing), food dropped to the ground just outside of the lavatory and still served to me...
Travis C
0
said
0
Brenda
0
said
0
How many are 1/4 of the calls that was mentioned in this article? If you have 12 calls 1/4 of them would be 3. Sometimes I find the people reporting on the news try to make a story more sensational than it really is. Was Air Canada the only airline that was grounded that day and the only one receiving complaints or is that an oversight on the journalist writing this story. Not once did this article take into consideration that Air Canada has the highest safety standards in the world. If you don't believe me try flying some of the airlines in other countries. No one seems to care until there is an accident.
Have they taken into consideration that when sitting on the tarmac that the airport authority may not allow them to go back to the terminal because there are no gates available, or possibly ground crew. What if they were allowed to go back and the weather broke for a very small period of time, now you have lost your position in the long line up with other aircraft ready to take off. I am not disputing the fact Air Canada probably has some customer service issues that need attention, but every big company does, from customer service to production. There is a difference between being inconvenienced and a legitimate complaint. Complaints like this irritate me when we are losing soldiers who are risking their lives for us.
Happy Canadian
0
said
0
I suggest everyone re-read this story and note that Air Canada did not force people to stay on board, they strongly suggested it. There were other posters on this story that complimented AC on the job they did under trying circumstances.
Weather delays are not in the airlines control. Even ground control can, and will, screw up airlines.
The weather affected not just departure but destination airports, there were lineups at de-icing. Crews were delayed or forced off due to hours worked under safety regulations.
And you whiners just blame the airline? What a bunch of spoiled rotten little babies!!! Got to have your way or it has got to be someones fault! Can't blame the weather becasue the weather maker knows enough to ignore you!
You "once every 3 years" travellers can't take it, so do the rest of us a favour and take the train!
Tired of seeing a good company trying to do their best in a bad situation getting crap and not being able to defend themselves!
CTV could you do a more balanced story? Do you know how to present both sides?
Joe
0
said
0
1. The weather is not in Air Canada's control.
2. West Jet was also plagued by delays.
3. The reason there are more inconvenienved Air Canada passengers is because Air Canada is a MUCH bigger airline than West Jet. If West Jet were as big and flew to as many destinations, then it would have as many passengers put out by the weather as well and would also have more service issues because of size alone.
Yes, Air Canada can improve on some of its service aspects, but all my Air Canada experiences have been positive and it is trying to improve. The flight crew (especially the younger ones)is always customer service and safety oriented. If you have a suggestion, give constructive criticism rather than simply generalizing and slamming, especially since most of the time, the criticism is unwarranted.
Dan- Calgary
0
said
0
frequently upset flyer
0
said
0
I have many business colleages that refuse to fly with them if there is an alternate. Especialy a Westjet alternate.
Time for a management change at the top of AC with some major attitude ajustments at the ground support and aircraft service staff levels.
spearit
0
said
0
Carrie
0
said
0
I was scheduled to fly Dec 24th for business. There was a terrible storm and I decided to cancel my meeting. I attempted to call in to advise and arrange for the credit to be issued for the value of the flight, but after an hour on hold at 2:00 a.m., I gave up.
I called today and said simply that I was scheduled to fly on the 24th, had decided not to, had tried to call but couldn't get through, could I get a credit? There were no questions asked and I was refunded the full value on the spot.
Dan in Orleans
0
said
0
BC Wet Coaster
0
said
0
From my experience, Air Canada has the worst service, by far (when compared to other international airlines). The problem is that the poor service is delivered by *all* Air Canada employees, not just one tier.
terrymac
0
said
0
Graeme
0
said
0
Westjet is getting a huge PR boost out of all this. While they have canceled flights as well, most people sound impressed with their professionalism through the whole thing.
Stephen in Toronto
0
said
0
Ian Ottawa
0
said
0
Mona
0
said
0
Shane
0
said
0
Kelly
0
said
0
dave in Victoria
0
said
0
The comments I am reading (and hearing on the radio) is nothing to due with the weather. It is however to due with rudeness and Air Canada's attitude towards its customers. And it is not just a management problem. The front line staff lack the professional skills to deal with any problem. If available, fly Westjet. Air Canada needs to change or fold.
MD
0
said
0
Fly any airline other than "Air Canada" and watch things improve!..
Why line the pockets of "Robert Milton". He doesn't care.. He still makes money regardless of who or how many people fly his taxpayer subsidized airline..
Skwarek
0
said
0
I tried to fly before Christmas: got in touch with AC 3 days after my departure date because their customer numbers were always bussy and disconecting after a few rings (why CTV.ca did not do a story about it?) About 5 months ago I was flying with KLM and because their plane was late 35 minutes departing we/passengers got $50 Vouchers for future flight with the Airline!
Hopefully, new Airlines will have a better access to Canada's sky in the near future.
Steven
TS in the North
0
said
0
L_Ron
0
said
0
I think most people are aware that AC does not control the weather, thats a given. What they can control is how they respond to weather situations and in my many years as a traveler I have seen AC fail to meet the mark and by the posts on here and other news sites that seems to be an undeniable fact.
Westjet was pre-emptive with this recent weather situation by putting up employees in hotels so they could make it to work and preparing extra planes. This makes the difference.
Westjets consistent growth and quality of service will ensure that AC will either have to shape up or shut down in due time and it is about time.
Elliot Campbell
0
said
0
- AC can not control the weather, and I can not tell you how many people I have heard that blamed AC for this
- AC is a different animal then Westjet. AC is much bigger, runs several types of planes to maximize supply/demand, and is much more complicated to run then Westjet. With this in mind, it is much more difficult to get back to normal ops when weather like what happened last week did. AC crews trained on one type of plane can't just work on a different type. Crews and aircraft were all out of position. Matching these crews, based on where they are to the type of planes available and that they are trained to work is complicated in normal ops. Add to that many crews hitting maximum allowed time, and you've got a mess on your hands.
- To all those who claim they will never fly AC again, I wish you good luck. Some of you will be able to keep this, most will not. Most will book AC again the minute the price is lower than the competition. And yes, you will probably find something else to complain about then.
- To whoever said the US airlines do better, they don't. To suggest they would put you up in a hotel, and provide you with food in the circumstances from last week is simply not true. And anyone who runs their own business, think about how you would react to a situation like this, completely out of your control, from a business perspective.
MJ in Ottawa
0
said
0
They went bankrupt because of it, and most likely will go belly up again. Finally.... this is winter, this is Canada, these things happen. check out how United, Delta, American and all the carriers who have been through these nasty storms in the USA, particularily in the Northeastern United States and you will see that their recored is far worse than Air Canada's!
Westjet is smaller, more concentrated here in Canada and caters to mostly Canadian territory.... so why do you all book on Air Canada???.... because West Jet cannOt handle the capacity, plain and simple! Air Canada, if you people can read, has been voted the top airline in the world on countless occasions and always in the top 5 or 6 every year. Westjet..???
Air Canada fan
0
said
0
Air Canada did the smart thing by concentrating on the longest haul flights knowing it could catch up more easily with the short haul. We live in Vancouver and we are frequent travellers and in 2008 and including Christmas Day I use flight 108 from Vancouver to Toronto at 7 am as the benchmark. On Christmas Eve it was 2 hours late, and when we flew Christmas Day it was 20 mins late. On Boxing Day, 5 mins late. We have had the opposite experience. Air Canada has had an excellent on time service all year, fantastic ground and in-flight service, and super planes. However, once in Hawaii this past March I changed my flight from Air Canada to Westjet to get back a few hours earlier, and Westjet was 4 hours late. There were no apologies or explanations. I realized then WestJet was good as a regional western provider but the further they stretch their system stretches. Since that experience we never check Westjet for tickets.
Stay Home next year
0
said
0
Rita
0
said
0
Greg
0
said
0
Hopefully next time Air Canada goes bust financially, we will all just let it die. God knows AC deserves it!
We'll be fine - we have WestJet to replace AC!
Kris
0
said
0
All other people I was with with, going to Montreal and the east coast, made their flights; mine was cancelled. The only announcement regarding the cancellation was for passengers to collect their luggage at the baggage carousel. When I went to rebook, I was given a slip of paper with a phone number so I could do my own rebooking. After I sent my complaints to Air Canada several times, looking for some sort of compensation, I was told that they would no longer respond to my e-mails. Great!
Three Christmases running, my daughter has had her luggage lost for up to four days by Air Canada.
Shortly after this fiasco, Air Canada introduced some sort of "insurance" plan to cover you if this type of event were to happen. Great! Now they charge extra for shoddy service. I thought perhaps it was an incentive for their crew to get it together.
My final comment to Air Canada is that if I can fly with another airline, the other airline will always be my first choice. Air Canada treats their customers poorly because they know there usually isn't another choice. Too bad, eh?
CBartlett
0
said
0
Jerry Mc Willam Toronto
0
said
0
Scott
0
said
0
GJ
0
said
0
AC has THE most miserable staff on this planet, and I refuse to be treated in such a fashion, so my airtravel funds go to 'anybody BUT AC'.
Cant fault any airline during times of bad weather, and really , I dont want to fly in it as much as they dont.
Having said that, AC still stinks when the sun is shining, the grass is green and the pavement is bare.
steve
0
said
0
Over the past 1.5 years I have noticed a great improvement in attitude and service on my usual AC leg between Vancouver & Narita. Reducing the percentage of rude and self important flight attendants of late middle age seemed to make the most difference.
On the several occasions when I was faced with a flight delay or cancellation I was treated very well and was sent onward as efficiently as could be imagined. During the recent problem in Bangkok, I was rebooked twice by Air Canada staff from my originally cancelled flight until one of the rebookings actually flew. I should point out that these were on code shared flights operated by AC partners, yet AC took responsibility to rebook me when I could not contact the agents of the other carrier. I have found that if you expect poor service from someone and portray that expectation by your own attitude you will likely have that expectation fulfilled. I try to treat the staff with courtesy and find I usually receive the same treatment in return. Some of the writers in this blog should try it sometime.
Paul
0
said
0
"Air Canada, we're not happy till you're not happy".
Kevin
0
said
0
Andrew - Vancouver, BC
0
said
0
I was flying last week just prior to Christmas as well and the anger displayed at the gate by some customers over even a minor delay was ridiculous. I don't think many people could handle the barrage of nasty comments hurled at the staff repeatedly.
I honestly don't know what people expect. As someone mentioned previously, Air Canada is a huge airline that must effectively manage logistically both domestic and international routes. It's tough to do when you have weather like we did here in Vancouver over the last week.
I would agree they can and should do more to inform people of what is happening at the moment, but this is a problem with all North American carriers.
They did add the optional On Your Way insurance early in the fall for people that wanted guaranteed solutions when delays like this occur, so I wonder how many people used that service.
Anyway, Westjet has it believers there's no question about it, but they're too unprofessional and amateurish for me.
For those like Jessie that refuse to fly Air Canada, or allow people working for him to fly Air Canada, great, I hope Westjet serves you well.
mike
0
said
0
Andrew in Fredericton NB
0
said
0
Paul
0
said
0
Why did Air Canada cancel many flights out of Vancouver last week when WestJet canceled very few?
Why did Air Canada fail to communicate effectively and respectfully with stranded and delayed passengers while WestJet went out of its way to treat its passengers with the respect they deserved?
Why were Air Canada service counters abysmally under staffed while WestJet put on extra customer service staff during the busy Christmas week?
The answer: WestJet genuinely cares about service and treats each passenger as a guest. WestJet wisely believes that this builds customer loyalty and increases market share. Air Canada, on the other hand, seems to care only about earning as much money as possible with as little effort and investment as possible. Air Canada management is extremely shortsighted. Air Canada has been busy laying off staff. I suspect that was a major factor in Air Canada's cancelled flights and extremely poor customer service during the Christmas break.
I will never again fly Air Canada, except as a very last resort.
Stephen Gearing
0
said
0
They don't exist, because as you boneheads who insist on defending AC (mostly employees, I suspect) fail to realise NO ONE IS BLAMING ANYONE FOR THE WEATHER! The complaints here are almost universally about the response of the airlines to theadverse conditions. Westjet treated people with respect and therefore, even if their Westjet flight was cancelled, people will be charitable toward the company. This is just basic, good business practice. My five year old could grasp this concept. Put these cowboys into the trashbin of history, where they belong!
JustDoIt
0
said
0
Let's boycott Air Canada.
They certainly won't be getting any more of my support or money.
And the rude unionized staff will soon be out of jobs.
Finally, this lame company needs to be put down.
I suspect many will support WestJet henceforth. This is your opportunity to build a Canada Wide and International airline guys.
Good riddance.
Dan from Ontario
0
said
0
tristan psionic
0
said
0
Air Canada's business and first class service is first rate and comparable to other Star Alliance airlines.
Keenan - Edmonton
0
said
0
I was informed upon boarding my flight to Vancouver that my connection to Edmonton was cancelled due to Airplane mechanical difficulties. Again, a trip that was to take 4 hours ended up being 8 hours. The staff informed me that I may not make it to my destination. I was informed that I would be reimbursed for my ferry ticket cost, as well as the flight from Vancouver that was cancelled. They now claim that they will not reimburse me for any costs as the cancellations were due to bad weather, and that if I could not get home, I could "sleep in the airport." When calling their customer service line today regarding reimbursement, I was told that all of the cancellations were due to bad weather, (which was incorrect) and that all of the extra costs I incurred making other travel arrangements and communications (cellular usage to my employer and family) will not be covered. Air Canada Staff were rude and innapropriate, and I will not be flying with them again.
gavin regina
0
said
0
Yes, WJ had cancelations, it was how they handled it that made the difference.
Glenn Alexander
0
said
0
Dec. 23 from Calgary to Vancouver and then to Beijing with Air Canada. Result? Both pieces of my checked baggage lost, despite waiting nearly 30 minutes in Vancouver at the gate (not weather, no crew to push us back).
As of today, one of the lost checked bags is back. I received only $50.00 for the damaged garment bag (not received yet, but promised) and still not one word on what happened to the golf clubs.
The flight crews on Air Canada were very nice on all the flights. The ground crews and gate agents were bordering on rude and issued their instructions like generals addressing troops, in some cases crossing the line into full blown disrespect.
Case in point? When a lady with a daughter (about age 9) attempted to pre-board the flight from Vancouver to Beijing she was told (direct verbatim quote) "excuse me you need to go and sit back down until we call your row, that announcement was clearly for people with small children and surely you don't need me to point that out to you."
Really? Because I kind of thought pointing stuff like that out to people was included in your basic job description (minus the sarcasm and insulting tone).
I am beyond fed up with my experience and NONE of it was due to weather.
Connie
0
said
0
Robin
0
said
0
linda
0
said
0
Maureen
0
said
0
Liz
0
said
0
Kitlope in Edmonton
0
said
0
Perhaps that will put it into perspective ...
ishav Puri Toronto
0
said
0
Folks I would like to add something inside story.
Most of customer service employee are part time working for 4 hr only, this is their fun job just to get most of benefits which include Unlimited flying and medical coverage for self and family , so they do not care for you , Mon to Friday they work on their first job , sell off their shift to other employee who have this part time job as a bread winner for their families . For SAT & SUN or any day off they have , they come here for their own change not for you .
Same thing in Baggage section some people are working two shifts in a day , one their own one for other guy who sell it b'coz he has preference for other job , Senior guy get $16-$20/hr and they find a new part time guy to work for them for $10/hr , so even not at job they still make money !!!!!
Some one should look into it , as a safety of employee and passengers no one should be allowed to work more than 10 hr at airport , this does effects the working ability that's why most of baggage is lost and damaged , as guy working two shifts get tiered and he care for none .
Foks change is must ,
Benny Guan: from Edmonton : Go Calgary Flames Go
0
said
0
Halima Mela
0
said
0
aly
0
said
0
G in Ont
0
said
0
All parties are to blame in this not just the weather, airlines or the customers.
JohnD from Denver
0
said
0
On more than one occasion, I've sat in the Kelowna airport when Air Canada canceled flight after flight while West Jet continued to operate flights to and from the same destinations on a similar schedule.
Air Canada gives up far too easily... in my opinion, it's because they're not hungry enough. They still control the domestic and international air travel market in Canada... why should they try harder? In the US, real competition means better policies and better service.
From my experience, I've learned not to invite Air Canada into my Winter travel plans. Now I just have to figure out how to use my Aeroplan points before Air Canada deems them "expired", which they seem very eager to do.
BlairJ
0
said
0
While it may be inconvenient and it may have delayed your festivities, remember this is Canada and its winter and while you may have faced an unpleasant sent of travel experiences (including the odd 'grumpy' AC staff member - and I am an AC Super Elite member and see a great many AC employees throughout my annual travels to know that is not the norm) remember its better to arrive safe then not at all.
And to all that would complain about AC, rather then ranting about things that happened on an AC flight 3 or 4 years ago as if it still has any relevance, fly West Jet ... last time I checked it was still a free country and nobody was forcing you to fly on AC and be as miserable and as you profess.
Jackie
0
said
0
Charles
0
said
0
I will only add that having read the majority of the 92 comments on this site, perhaps if within their mandate, the Consumers Association of Canada should conduct a special investigation/inquiry into Air Canada and their overall dealings with the public. the
cs
0
said
0
Tim from Calgary
0
said
0
As for the Air Canada haters, I was majorly delayed on an Air Canada flight last February due to fog at San Francisco and Air Canada did well with me.
Blame the weather...not!
0
said
0
Wayne Harvey
0
said
0
Unfortunately, a succession of (mostly liberal) governments couldn't leave well enough alone and continued pouring money into the airline every time its demise was mercifully imminent.
They so favored their national airline that they financed it until it was the only one left. This caused the demise of many very fine companies including CPAir, Max Ward, Canada 3000, a raft of "charter" companies and had nothing to do with supporting good business practice. It was totally political and a pork barrel for their friends. The company is not run by airline people, it can't spell service and, I repeat, it has no business being in business.
I'm continually astonished that anyone flies them unless absolutely necessary.
God bless Westjet!
Ben
0
said
0
Christoff
0
said
0
Vitaliy
0
said
0
Air Canada cannot change the weather but many reports over the past few days noted that WestJet spent 2 million dollars to cater for stranded passengers while AC - did not seem to care that much.
we, the passengers, should also take precautions planning to travel during winter season and buy a flight cancellation insurance.
Shannon
0
said
0
Appalling treatment of fellow human beings, let alone paying clients. And by the way, the weather was beautiful that day.
Christoff
0
said
0
AGAIN I WOULD FLY AIR CANADA OVER WESTJET ANY DAY!!!!
donald baldhead
0
said
0
Suzann
0
said
0
Elaine Eldon
0
said
0
My issue at the time was the airline I was supposed to fly on to Europe ,phoned me the day before to tell me they had decided to use a smaller airplane ,and as the plane I was scheduled on was going on to another country ,there were people who could not get off at the first stop because of some issue with passports .
Therefore I was being chucked off the flight and being re scheduled on another flight with another airline, which landed a 100 miles away from my origonal destination. I was to find my own way to my original destination .That substitute airline happened to be Air Canada .When my small piece of luggage arrived at the destination ,my small suitcase was in absolute tatters .I never got reimbursed for either set of circumstances and even though I filed an official complaint,there was nothing the government agency had power to do .
Since then ,I have never flown with either airlines .In fact .I live near the border and I am lucky enough to never use canadian airlines or pay the obnoxious government taxes we have to pay.On USA carriers,taking your pet with you,you are entitled to a comfortable seat no matter what your body size are a right .The safety measures onboard are far superior and courtesy is tops.More importantly the flights are cheaper and they have a very strong passenger rights bill for compensation.
Elaine Eldon
danny phoenix
0
said
0
Because WestJet chooses to.
Vote with your money. Do not fly with Air Canada.
mj from ottawa
0
said
0
Air Canada is a PRIVATE airline, has been for over 20 years. Do your homework, AC does not get one penny from the government period, unlike CAIL, who dinged the taxpayers a million times until AC was FORCED to buy them out, all of their debt included!!
Why don't people do their homework before they get on this thing??!!
Mary
0
said
0
Amy
0
said
0
Gord Barnett
0
said
0
Ashley E
0
said
0
B. Kelley, Ontario
0
said
0
Christian
0
said
0
There is so much ill-informed information and propoganda on here, for example:
"This is what happens when you bail out a badly run company. They just get worse. I never fly AC."
-AC was never bailed out!
"That's why one should always fly westjet"
-Is this a Westjet employee?
There is no control. Yes, this is a free society but when any Jane Doe can write anything they want and influence people with wrong information, I think control should be used. When you have Westjet and Air Canada employees on here duking it out, it really doesn't help.
Crystal
0
said
0
FedUp
0
said
0
Doug - Edmonton
0
said
0
Leanne
0
said
0
December 23rd, 2008. I got on my 5:15 flight MUCH later than expected and then sat on it for two hours. They claimed there was no
crew to load the baggage. Then they said there was a mechanical failure and to get off the plane, but that they were going to get us all on another flight to Calgary. We stood at the gate they told us to for an hour. Then an air canada agent came over and told us there was no plane and our original flight was cancelled and to basically get out and go talk to a ticket agent (I won’t even start on the line ups.) I was lucky enough to find another flight but
my heart goes out to those who didn’t. I arrived in Calgary many many hours later and didn’t have baggage-it was gone. I spent my whole time in Calgary trying to figure out where my bags were. I am back in BC now and still do not have them. I just found out they are in Calgary now and I don’t know if they will be sent here. On the way home I was delayed three hours and once we arrived in Vancouver
We sat there for an hour until the ground crew showed up. I have spent a few hundred dollars buying clothes and everyday items that I’m not sure
I’ll get back that were in my luggage. I don’t trust I’ll ever get it back.
I will NEVER willingly go Air Canada again. Yes there were weather issues, but many delays were not related to weather-it just became a convenient excuse or Air Canada. I really am disgusted so many people were let down and inconvenienced.
Richard from Calgary
0
said
0
Sarama
0
said
0
I think unless a commentator here has actually been at the airport during this time, they have no idea what they are talking about. It has nothing to do with weather delays.
This is about very very bad customer service, pure and simple.
Paul from Calgary
0
said
0
I would expect AC to have more difficulty keeping flight commitments as they have many more than WJ, and they are interdependent to create convenient flight times (when weather isn't horrendous). Communication with clients seems to be the real problem for most. I sign up for the SMS flight alerts and usually find out info before the passenger agents or flight attendants.
Aberta
0
said
0
bob - ywg
0
said
0
When I first started at Air Canada, I was so happy to have a great paying job with the major carrier in the country. However, I noticed that after approximately 1 yr, I found that I was becoming very bitter and unhappy with my job. The reason - Air Canada's "management". I have never seen a group of people, at one company, that truly represent the "Peter principle." Not only were they incompetent, lazy, afraid to make a decision, but you could never find them. And these were just the line supervisors!
Senior management of the company, including Robert Milton, were focused solely on the bottom line. They did not try to resolve many of the issues that would have made the company more efficient. We were constantly short of supplies, staff, and training and the fear of layoff or contracting out.
I eventually resigned and know that much of the poor employee morale and unhappiness is the result of the incompetent, bonus focused management at Air Canada.
IDIOTS!
0
said
0
So stop being an idiot by saying "fly westjet"
Maurice Victoria, BC
0
said
0
Not an Air Canada Employee
0
said
0
This holiday season has been brutal for weather related delays.
I read comments that the weather is fine but my flight is cancelled. Airlines are a complex system. The weather where you are may be fine. The aircraft you are waiting for is coming from somewhere else! During the period in question numerous North American airports were affected by weather. While your flight may be cancelled leaving Vancouver it could be to a number of reasons.
Airport authorities are responsible for gate assignments and with all the delays and cancellations aircraft have to be moved off the gate for arriving aircraft. De-icing fluid was in short supply at some airports. In Vancouver at one point 1 of 3 runways remained open as the airport authority couldn't keep up with snow fall.
To those who sing WestJets praises they are a fine airline but had the same level of cancellations and delays. Air canada runs a far larger and complex schedule. You really need to educate yourself about the numerous factors that can create these difficulties.
Sandy
0
said
0
Thanks West Jet, for stepping up to the plate and showing once again that you are the airline of choice.