Air Canada

[WCMouse]

Everything is going to be just fine and then you will come back here after your trip and be the only other poster on this thread that likes AC besides me.

madonna31. I do not think it is that the rest of us do not like AC, but rather prefer the alternative. I would love nothing better than to support AC, but when they have given me poor service, etc. what can they expect me to do.

If a restaurant gives me bad meals, it does not mean that I do not
like them, but will probably not go back there, and will eat somewhere else.

As well, I do not believe it is a matter of agreeing to disagree, because I cannot dispute the fact that you have had great expereinces with AC nor can anyone else dispute that fact that I have not had good experiences with AC.

If they go under so be it... if they stay alive all the better...

 

[Amberle3]

I've had much worse service on the US airlines than I've ever had on Air Canada. Granted their customer service level is definitely slipping, but it's still far and away better than most of the US carriers. Northwest earned the nickname NorthWORST for a reason. United decided to board the plane backward (from the front back instead of from the back forward) which resulted in a horrible delay and an obstacle course in the aisle to try and get to seats toward the back. Delta was just plain rude.

I do prefer the laid-back style of Westjet, although I like being able to have seats pre-assigned when booking. But I can't honestly say I've ever had a bad flight with Air Canada. I fly on average one roundtrip flight a month, usually with Westjet these days.

 

[madonna31]

I do not think it is that the rest of us do not like AC, but rather prefer the alternative.

Well good for you. My only alternative is a charter airline. If you read this whole thread, you will know that I was held up for 13 hours in an airport by Royal Airlines and after that I vowed NEVER to go charter again. I have flown EVERYTIME since then via AC and it is 1000 times better then MY only alternative.

As well, I do not believe it is a matter of agreeing to disagree, because I cannot dispute the fact that you have had great experiences with AC nor can anyone else dispute that fact that I have not had good experiences with AC.

Huh? Exactly. That's WHY we *agree to disagree* because NEITHER of us can dispute each others experience. I choose to fly AC and you don't. We are respecting one another's decision on that...err...or at least I am.

I only posted on this thread in the first place as a Travel Agent in hopes of 'curing the fears' that some had about losing their money, tickets or whatever due to the scare of AC going under. Most recently I am trying to ease SKFam's fear for her flight to DL. The VERY first AC flight I ever took was to LAX and it was by FAR the best flight I had ever been on. You see, I only posted here to try and help those nervous about their upcoming AC flights. Can we get back on topic now??

This is not the debate board and that is not my intention.

Then stop making it one by picking apart my posts. Especially when it's one where I am just trying to help the OP out.

 

[SKFamily]

And I do appreciate the reassurance on the original reason for my post. I never even considered that this might become a "debate" about how good or bad AC is - that wasn't the intent, or the occassional attitude seeming to say that AC should go down because they're a "bad" airline and there are lots of better US based options. Yes I had one bad experience with a call to AC, but the next one was just great. I get bad waitresses at what I know are good restaraunts sometimes, I don't quit going there or bad mouth the whole restaurant over one employee - I complain to management and expect something to be done, a reprimand would be good enough for me. Sometimes this thread has left me thinking "Yeah, let's just "go US" and add to the attitude that Canada isn't it's own country with a lot to offer". Quite frankly at one point I was ready to not book the trip at all - not because of this thread - but because I was annoyed at the amount of garbage potentially involved for Canadian Citizens to get into the USA. I was completely ready to do an "All Canadian" vacation. But Disneyland has been a "dream" vacation for a long time, for my own reasons. One I never thought would ever really happen. Which probably adds to my concern over AC's difficulties.

So to those of you with some knowledge and information that allows you to offer the reassurance - thank you. The rest of this thread belongs on another board. If AC goes down before July 6, then I'll have to look at other options for next March. But not until then.

 

[WCMouse]

Sorry to upset you madonna31.. never was my intention...signing off from this post..

Actually now leaving all posts... thanks for the info in the past... take care...

 

[SKFamily]

Just talked to my TA this morning - finding how much is left owing on the trip. Anyway, she said that if AC goes bankrupt we would automatically be put on another flight, most likely Northwest (Northwestern? whichever it's supposed to be) at this point. So I guess the only reason we would need our money back is if we can't get there at all and that most likely won't happen.

 

[Amberle3]

Just wanted to pass along a bit of information on Northwest, which for some of us is the only alternative to AC for transborder flights. 2 interesting things in the last week:

1) NW has announced they intend to lay off 120 customer service agents and replace them with 80 skycaps. What this means is that at some airports the person you deal with behind the desk will not be an employee trained in the reservations system and fare rules, but will instead be basically the same as the person who takes your luggage at the curb. They customer service agents get paid $20, skycaps will be paid $10 an unlike the ones at the curb the ones at the desk won't be allowed to take tips.

2) While making these cuts to save under $3 million a year, they're paying out a total of $6.6 million in bonuses to 5 executives.

And people think that Air Canada is in bad shape! I'd still rather travel with AC than NW.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Delta is also in serious trouble.......so they are reporting here.

I think the time of the "big fat" airlines is now over.

 

[donaldrees]

not ALL airlines overbook. Ones that practice responsible business and aren't desperate for a dollar tend to only sell seats they have available. I work in the airline industry and can state this for a fact.

 

[Amberle3]

Originally posted by donaldrees
not ALL airlines overbook. Ones that practice responsible business and aren't desperate for a dollar tend to only sell seats they have available. I work in the airline industry and can state this for a fact.

I know that WestJet doesn't overbook. Air Canada does. I was very surprised to learn that Southwest overbooks, since they're the model that Westjet was based on. In fact Southwest has been known to overbook flights by up to 50% in busy seasons.

 

[SKFamily]

Here's something I've wondered since the first time I flew... what happens to the people in the "overbooked" seats? Each passenger has booked and paid for their seat... so what does the airline do in the event that people who have booked and paid, can't get on a flight? Or does that even happen that often?

I have relatives who used to fly stand-by on Delta all the time (uncle worked for them). Only during very busy seasons did they wait for flights, hoping someone wouldn't show up. I can understand a passenger missing a flight once in a while, maybe it happens more often than I realized.

 

[eritouma]

Our flight from Tokyo to Seoul on NW was overbooked, and we volunteered to get bumped off.

We got a hotel room for the night, food for the that night and the next day$300 each (2 of us) and a seat on the next flight the next day. Since we were not in a hurry, it worked out great for us...

 

[mom_rules]

On our return trip from MCO they were asking for two volunteers-the first time they asked the offer was a meal voucher and overnight hotel accomodation. Second time was meal voucher, hotel accomodation and first class seats on flight next morning. The third offer was all of the above plus two roundtrip tickets for anywhere the airline flew for use over the next year. There was no fourth offer.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Originally posted by mom_rules
On our return trip from MCO they were asking for two volunteers-the first time they asked the offer was a meal voucher and overnight hotel accomodation. Second time was meal voucher, hotel accomodation and first class seats on flight next morning. The third offer was all of the above plus two roundtrip tickets for anywhere the airline flew for use over the next year. There was no fourth offer.

They probably got a lot of volunteers the third time around ... that's a pretty good offer

 

[mom_rules]

Would have jumped on it ourselves but there were 5 of us (3 were teenagers). Not sure how the others would have coped going on a day ahead of us!