Air Canada is now 3 for 8 getting me and my luggage through Toronto to my destination within 3 hours of scheduled arrival time. It's an astounding level of incompetence. And I have had the perks of being in Air Canada's top tier status, Super-Elite, so imagine the folks who don't have access to the Toronto concierge service.
Most recently, I was going from Vancouver to Boston on Wednesday, then Boston to Geneva (via Toronto and London) on thursday night/friday. As I now know, you never accept the travel agents "legal" booking going through toronto. They actually will try to book with 50 minutes between arrival and departure and going through US customs. Bwa ha ha ha!
So I took a combination of flights that gave me 90 minutes in Toronto enroute to Boston, and then 120 minutes enroute to London. Guess what? Missed 'em both! And missed dinner in Boston and took an extra 15 hours to get to Geneva. Sweet!
The way it worked was that the Vancouver -> Toronto flight was 90 minutes late because the crew hadn't had their "minimum down-time" between flights. So of course that blew off the scheduled Boston flight. Of course, being the professionial traveller I am, I made sure I was not originally scheduled on the last toronto->Boston flight, so I ended up taking the last YYZ->LOG flight, 3 hours later than scheduled.
Then going Boston to Geneva was awful. The Boston->Toronto flight was delayed by 45 minutes. 75 minutes should be enough to make the connection. Ah, but sadly, AC had a "crew" problem and had to get a replacement crew, so the flight was delayed from 10:30 pm until 1am. And of course, I had gotten there just late enough (with the 45 minute delay) that I missed the last flight to Frankfurt. Well, they couldn't find a pilot so they eventually cancelled the flight to London.
Imagine that, not being able to find a pilot! So, another overnight in Toronto, followed by catching the 9am to London. Then an overnight in London because the last flight to Geneva had left an hour before the *of course* late flight from Toronto landed.
Then I caught the 7:40 BA flight from London to Geneva, arriving saturday at 10 am. I was originally scheduled to arrive in Geneva at 4pm on the friday, so I was 18 hours late and a total transit time of 33 hours.
Now, contrast this with British Airways at Heathrow. I arrived at Heathrow terminal 1 at 6:10 am (yes, I got a whole 4 hours of sleep) for my 7:35 flight - yes gentle reader, that is a different time than the flight I caught. I waited in a humongo line and got the check-in agent at 6:45 am. They said "Oh, this is a swiss-air operated flight, it's only code-shared by BA. You need to go to Terminal 2 Swiss-air. Dave puts on his running shoes and sprints over to T2. the Swiss-air check-in agents says "Oh, your flight hasn't been released by BA. You need to have gotten a paper ticket by BA. Why don't you go to the swiss-air ticket desk".
The swiss-air ticket desk says "Oh, BA can't release the ticket to us for issuance. You need to go to BA ticketing in Terminal 1. And you probably won't make the 7:35 flight as it's now 6:55 am". I sprint over to T1 and budge my way to the front of the ticketing line. They can't get me on the 7:35 flight, but there's a 7:40 flight and so they transfer me on to it. Note this ticket is a non-refundable, non-transferrable ticket that was actually for the previous day (remember those cancelled flights?) and so they didn't actually have to do squat.
A fair bit of confusion at the airport because of the wierdness of the ticket, but they got me on the flight.
I've regaled you with my recent travel hell, and wait, there's more. I mentioned AC was 3/8. This is 0/2. I did a trip to NYC last year and my luggage didn't get to NYC. I did catch the right flight to Vancouver on the return leg. Actually, it was the sweetest travel experience I've had yet. I caught an earlier flight because I managed to make it through customs really quickly. There's a *full* flight to Vancouver and I walked up and said "can I get on this flight". "Sorry sir, this flight is completely full". "Here's my Super-Elite card and my business class ticket on the later flight". "Right, you are in Seat 2A and enjoy the flight". All the folks who were lining up waiting for their upgrades watched me walk up to the ticket desk and then walk onto the plane. OK, that experience was good. But it wasn't that big for a 1 hour difference in arrival time.
1/4 score.
Another travel hell was going from my family reunion in Lethbridge to Boston in August last year. There was a 55 minute connection time in Toronto going to Boston and a 75 minute time returning. The ever lovely and considerate check-in agent in Lethbridge made me check my roller because it was 1 (one) pound over. Yes, I'd take about 4 pounds out by then and put in my computer bag but I couldn't take any more out. One pound over and I'm forced to check it. Remember that alleged Super-elite status? The one that says my company has spent probably >$30K on AC? argh.
That was the week that AC laid off about 3/4 of their toronto staff and the US INS computers were down. Flight to Boston way late. The returning Boston leg got delayed and then I missed the last flight to Vancouver by 2 minutes. Yes, I was at the gate at 9:47 and the 9:45 had closed the passenger list. I stood looking at the plane just in shock that they hadn't held the plane for 5 minutes. I pointed out that the other 3 flights on my trip had all been late, why the *f*ck* couldn't they have held the *last* flight out of toronto?
1/6 score. I did have another trip to Boston that went smoothly, for a total of 3/8.
When I did complain to Air Canada about the awful service, I got a whole 30 000 aeroplan miles. woohoo, not.
Long winded stories, and there are 3 lessons to learn:
1) Travel is not nearly as neat as people who don't travel think it is. Lots of time, it just sucks.
2) Air Canada simply cannot operate a hub any more. The level of incompetence is staggering. I wonder how long Air Canada will continue to operate when other airlines can get people to their destination.
3) Air Canada is simply not getting as much of my money as they used to. I dropped a status level this past year and part of that is because I can't count on them. For example, I could have made a trip to Raleigh last year for some work, but I didn't go. If I knew I could get there, I might have done it. See point #2 about viabilty of the airline.
Comments (10)
I guess "sucks" is relative -- taking even the better part of two days to get to Europe still beats several weeks by ship around the Straits of Magellan, doesn't it?
Posted by Derek | March 9, 2004 11:15 AM
Posted on March 9, 2004 11:15
Wow, that's pretty bad! My favourite AC story was the time they tried to bump my (then) 17 year old sister who was flying alone. They suggested she go find a room in Toronto and come back in the morning. I think she had to cry to get on the plane.
So, can we have deregulation now?
Posted by Nic | March 10, 2004 5:41 AM
Posted on March 10, 2004 05:41
I used to rave about AC when I lived in NYC, now that I live in Montreal, I book with US companies. It's cheaper and usually more direct.
The best part is that it's usually cheaper to buy a ticket on an AC plane through United (they codeshare). A YUL-SFO round-trip was 800$ with AC, but 450 with United.
Posted by mathieu | March 22, 2004 4:12 PM
Posted on March 22, 2004 16:12
I flew Vancouver/Halifax return on Jetsco Airlines in May '04.Not only is it much cheaper than Air Canada, but also less than WestJet.
I have no complaint whatsoever. All flights departed on time and all my luggage arrived intact. Processing at the gates was easy and efficient with my paperless ticket.
OK - so there are no full meals,(there are sandwiches and snacks) but is a meal worth several hundred dollars?
I have heard great things about Westjet as well.
The young cabin staff at Jetsgo are adequate in doing their job, but are not particularly welcoming. I understand Westjet's crews go all out in welcoming their passengers.
Posted by peter | June 15, 2004 10:57 AM
Posted on June 15, 2004 10:57
i am going to Europe next week...AC from Calgary via Toronto to London then British Airways to Copenhagen....i have been to Europe many times (unfortunately on AC as there is no other option out of Calgary)....when i called to confirm flights the other day i asked both BA and AC what happens if AC gets me in late and i miss my BA connection...BA said it would be AC's fault and i'd have to take it up with them...i then called AC and told them....they said i'd have to take it up with BA ...so i replied :" so youre telling me if that if YOU get me in late i will be stranded outright?" they said "yes"...(how's that for service)...thay also said that they are only obligated to get me to London, never mind what time as long as they get me there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...i cant wait!!!!!i hate AC to the seething bowels of bloody hell....GO BANKRUPT YOU BASTARDS AND STARVE WHILE YOURE AT IT!!!
Posted by ian h | April 20, 2005 8:05 AM
Posted on April 20, 2005 08:05
I hate Air Canada - I've been trying to find a way to vent my frustration so here goes. My most recent horror story involved yet another rude Air Canada employee. We normally refuse to fly Air Canada - however, we were forced to take a flight from Victoria to Calgary on their disorganized airline last week. The flights themselves were fairly close to being on time (the last time we had a three hour delay in Vancouver and the ticket agent gave away my husband's spot on that flight because he apparently didn't hear me say his name!!!). This time our disappointment came from an employee who refused to let us use the elevator because he would have to call someone. I should tell you we were flying with a 2 year old, a newborn baby (in a stroller) and their grandma. It wasn't until after an older gentlemen fell down the escalator that the employee decided he himself could take us down the elevator. What I don't understand is why Air Canada employees, knowing their employer is about to sink at any given moment, can't make a little effort to be helpful or at the very least polite.
Posted by jody | June 28, 2005 6:35 AM
Posted on June 28, 2005 06:35
I hate them so much my blood boils.
They steal luggage and take no liability for their own actions.
They lost my bag from my overseas voyage and offered me a 85 dollar coupon.
Their cutomer 'care' (torture) is something from the mid-evil times that I do not wish upon my worst enemy....
Rot in Hell you dirty bandits
Posted by wanda | July 4, 2005 10:32 AM
Posted on July 4, 2005 10:32
Well, I thought i was the only person to be an AC victim! This blog tells me that AC has a huge PR problem, not to mention customer service issues like you wouldn't believe. Recently (XMas 2005) my husband and i bought our tickets online - like AC wants you to. We arrive in plenty of time for our flight, and a helpful AC staffer (there's only one of them!) helps us obtain our e-boarding pass at the shiny kiosk. At the checkin gate my husband is paged - only to be told he can't board the plane because its overbooked. Why him? I come over and they say I can fly (!) but he'll have to catch the next plane. NO REASON GIVEN!! I say "would you fly separetely from your spouse on Xmas?" Forget it. Another staff takes us to a new counter to gt us on the next flight - STANDBY if you can believe it! We insist on actual tickets. And whats our compensation? Vouchers for travel on AC next year!! Oh sure, thats useful. Our family is at the other end waiting for us - we had to bug them to let us make a long dist.call to notify family.
So: overbooking, a practice that should be banned.
Arbitrary decision to bump us. No apology.
The staff were the embodiment of contempt. AC is a truly third world airline now.
Posted by susan | December 28, 2005 6:10 AM
Posted on December 28, 2005 06:10
3/3 for lost luggage on the last 3 flights
2/3 nightmares on the same 3 flights
Susan said here that "AC is a truly third world airline" this is truly insulting for third world airline because I travel there and they never lost my luggage and I never had nightmare experience like I had with AC.
On my last 3 trips with AC they manage to lost my luggage 3 times comming back home, a perfect score. The last time I had to wait 10 days to get it back and they were saying they are not lost because they know they were in Hong Kong, go figure.
For the nightmares, I had a trip book with Korean Airline to Bangkok from Montreal but the return trip was not by New York but by Los Angeles and the last flight was with AC. I had hesitate before booking this because of the AC leg but the price, the date and time were good so I took it. Should I know better, in Los Angeles the fliht to Toronto was over book and they had problems finding someone to give his seat, me beeing on vacation I resort to give my seat for a night in Los Angeles and my only request was that I have my luggage back for the night to what they reply that it was ok. The package for giving my seat was a night at the Hilton and the breakfast, roundtrip shuttle to the hotel, a direct flight Los Angeles Montreal in business class and a voucher for a $400.00 USD rebate on a next flight with AC (should I know better because in US the law is that they give money not rebate). So I give my seat and ask for my luggage, they say wait until we finish boarding the flight and we will give you your luggage. After the boarding, I ask again for my luggage because they were not doing anything and they apologize but my luggage was in the Toronto flight, by the way since I gave my seat and Los Angeles is not my final destination they don't give you anything like a tooth brush, rasor and thing like that for the luggage not beeing there. I told them that they give me a seat the next on a direct flight to Montreal not Toronto and I ask if my luggage will be in Montreal and they said yes they will be there. The next day, I fly to Montreal on a one hour delayed flight. Arrived in Montreal, no luggage, they were on Toronto and they took 5 days to send it back to me, go figure.
The next trip, I use my $400.00 US voucher to book a flight to South East Asia with AC I must be a masochist to do that, 2 weeks before my flight I receive a phone call from them asking me if it was ok to have a flight to Vancouver a day later because I had to sleep over for my connecting flight in Vancouver because that same flight was suppose to be sold out, I told them it was OK since I did not had to stay in Vancouver overnight. And came the day of my flight from Montreal, I go to the check in and they say to me that to fly today I had to pay them $496.00 CAD since my voucher was valid for a year and I pass the deadline by one day, I told them THEY change my flight it was not me who decided to fly a day later but they did not want to hear anything, I pay I fly I don't pay I don't fly so resign myself and pay but not before I said to them that when I come back I will go to court with them.
On the return leg from Hong Kong to Vancouver I had to take my luggage to pass the custom, should I know better they lost my luggage so I had to go to AC counter so they fill papers so I can pass the custom without my luggage. At the counter they said to me to wait until the luggage carousel stop and if my luggage are not there you come back here for the papers. I wait until the carousel stop and there is no luggage for me so I go again to the counter and there is only 1 guy and a 13 travellers queue and I am the last and it is 9:00 AM and my flight is at 9:30 AM so by the time I got to the counter the guy said to me that there is no way I could make it to my flight in time because it was 9:25 AM and I had to cross the custom and the airport for the domestic terminal, by that time my blood pressure at high temp and I have a red falshing red light in my head saying HIGH TEMP, HIGH TEMP. I replied to him that he was a genius since he was able to calculate that there is no way I can make it to my flight since it was 9:25 AM and that this was his problem not mine to get me a other flight to Montreal. I gave me a yellow voucher for the 2:15 PM flight, the yellow voucher meaning that I was standby on that flight because it was already overbook. When I got to to AC counter for the flight they told me they had no seat for me on that flight, he took me all I had not to jump over the counter to make them understand that they should rename the compagny Nightmare Airline.
Since I was giving them a shit load of insult and loudly so everybody in lobby could hear what I had to say they took a guy with a upgrade in business class and put him back in economy and put someone else on the waiting list because the flight was over book. If you think that the nightmare stop there, think twice. Now it is 2:00 PM and there is no plane at the the door. 2:05 PM no plane and people are waiting to board in line, 2:10 PM still no aircraft, 2:15 PM no plane and people start to go to the counter to ask what is happening and they give no answer, It went like that 2:45 PM, at that time they announce that they had a technical problem with the airplane who came in and that they had no other plane for us at that time and so we will have to wait until one is available. I had to call my brother who was suppose to get me at the airport in Montreal to say to him to wait for my next call to go to Montreal because I did not know at what time I will be there. At 6:00 PM I phone him back to say that even if I leave now I will not be in Montreal until 2:00 AM and I live 3 hours by car from Montreal, since I know he can not take the day off at work the next day I said to him that I will take a bus to come back home. Finally we board at 7:15 PM a good 5 hours over the schedule and we arrived at around 3:15 AM in Montreal and I had to fill the papers for the lost luggage before going to the hotel in sandal without socks and no winter jacket in February. Since they pay the hotel to the people who miss their connecting flight you will think that they will pay mine, nop, since I was at my destination they don't pay. I got home without my luggage, barefoot in my sandal to find a letter from Air Canada in the mail box and I found a $400.00 voucher for a next flight with Air Canada valid for one year. The next day looking at the voucher I found that now it was a $400.00 CAD no longer a $400,00 USD voucher they should give us a tube of KY jelly so they can screw us more and more. For the luggage, it took 10 days to come back from Hong Kong.
The last time they lost my luggage I had a flight from Minneapolis to Montreal with a connecting flight in Boston with NorthWest Airline but what I did not know is that the leg Boston Montreal was operated by AC even if the flight number was one from NorthWest and AC screw up again by loosing my luggage in Boston.
Posted by Louis | January 9, 2006 9:14 AM
Posted on January 9, 2006 09:14
If you think Air Canada's service is bad, you should see what they try to do to their employees...
I was a flight attendant with A/C & developed Multiple Sclerosis. My need for medication is great and the expense overwhelming at times. In 2000 they 'cut me off' my medical prescription coverage - I had 'capped' out! They recommended I take early retirement which had another prescription 'plan'- so I accepted early retirement. I then found out they had placed me on the wrong plan - not a disability retirement plan but an 'ordinary' one with no COLA provisions. THEN they come along a few months later and inform me that the old prescription 'cap' - the reason I retired, was now being increased twenty-fold, OH - but, sorry, that no longer involved me as I had retired!
Since then my retirement medical coverage has also 'capped out' (it too had a 50K cap - not the million dollar cap that the 'new' plan has!) so now my 2nd policy has expired and I had no coverage!!! Thankfully I live in Ontario which has the Trillium medical plan - hey! it only costs me $2,000 annually in deductibles but since I spend $12 - 20,000 a year on medication - no choice!
But wait... it gets better - now that I no longer have any coverage from Air Canada - they STILL CHARGE THE ANNUAL PREMIUM - amounts to about $120 a month!
So - to recap -
- They placed me on the wrong retirement plan so my pension is not indexed! It gets smaller and smaller
- They should have and did not tell me at retirement time (their idea) that I did not have to retire as an increase was coming! The only reason I retired was for medical coverage!
- They still deduct a premium from my pension even though my medical costs are now covered by Trillium.
The icing on the cake? I have called, written and e-mailed dozens of times - to no avail - not one single Air Canada employee has contacted me. You cannot get a hold of anyone - period! All contact is through an E-Service center which is staffed with non-Air Canada employees (employee services were outsourced to Hewitt a year ago - talk about talking to mindless computer screen robots!! I even asked my Union CUPE to help - limited help was received - although they had the class to respond - but nothing has happened. I tried to contact everyone from Robert Milton and A/C President Monte Brewer down - nothing - not a 'peep' out of them! I am obviously beiong ignored.
So - you think you have problems with this screw-up company? You are lucky - you have the option to go elsewhere - I am stuck with these ignorant and rude clowns. My advice to anyone considering flying with Air Casualty - er.. sorry Air Canada, is to FLY WESTJET or anyone else!
Posted by Jackie | January 15, 2006 5:14 PM
Posted on January 15, 2006 17:14