Another Air Canada story

[tgropp]

We are presently at the VWL with our family, including our 2 1/2 year old grandson and having a fantastic time. Only snafu was air canada somehow put two pieces of our luggage in the lost and found department while the rest of our luggage came via ME. We were given a number to call and spent 45 minutes talking to someone who could barely understand or speak English . We had to repeat everything over again and again and when I asked to speak to a manager she would not give me one. I later found out that the call was being answered in India. Anyway, the Lodge found the luggage for us the next day at the airport. I will NEVER fly Air Canada again.

 

[Gigi22]

Wait until after this weekend--both AC and WestJet are completely swamped due to the bad weather in the NE. (There was a 3 hr. wait to talk to an agent on Fri. night). Go to the AC website and contact them online about your problem. They can't fix what they don't know about.

 

[networktek]

sorry they lost your luggage I also hate air canada after 2 really bad experience with them i will never fly air canada they have the worst customer service both on the phone and at the air port.

 

[myzel]

I have no complaints, they have misplaced our luggage once and we had it the next day, and last week at MCO someone took a carry on and we had it at the resort that night.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

Air Canada is my last choice for travel. We flew them home from WDW in early December because it was the only late evening flight with seating available when we were looking for flights... West Jet was sold out for the last flight of the day which was our preference.

We were traveling with only carry on baggage, I have had not one but two incidents of ruined luggage when flying AC when checking bags. I can now add 2 more pieces to that list.

We were forced to check our carry on's.. We had been the first to arrive at the gate, had preselected & prepaid for our seats in row 4 well in advance. Only to find that we would be dead last to board. By the time we were allowed to get on the plane ALL overhead storage was completely gone. Many items like laptop bags & backpacks stored up there could have easily fit under the seats... but the flight crew made no attempt to arrange for this to be done. My beautiful Heys luggage carry on & my GS's brand new samsonite duffle were taken from us pretty much by force as I protested... upon arrival at YYZ we collected our new bags - both damaged. The duffle sliced open in 2 spots by something sharp.. The Heys hard shell scuffed right down to the core material..

I filed a damage claim, I'm not very hopeful..

Never again will I fly AC! Never.

 

[Deanie1]

My son filed a damage claim as his large travel backpack from MEC was damaged. THe claim has to be filed before leaving the airport, which he did, despite flying for 15 hrs. They were unable to repair it, so they replaced it with a brand new one.

We aalso prefer other airlines to AC although I have flown on worse. They are quite pricey.

And don't forget their motto:

"We're not happy until you're not happy."

 

[OnceUponATime15]

My son filed a damage claim as his large travel backpack from MEC was damaged. THe claim has to be filed before leaving the airport, which he did, despite flying for 15 hrs. They were unable to repair it, so they replaced it with a brand new one.

We aalso prefer other airlines to AC although I have flown on worse. They are quite pricey.

And don't forget their motto:

"We're not happy until you're not happy."

In the case of damages not being seen while still at the airport, The claim has to be filed within 7 days, accompanied by the flight number, route, the baggage claim ticket numbers and your own ticket number.. As per Air Canada's website.

So that is how I've proceeded....

 

[mmrocks]

Before going to Hawaii I was researching on the Disboards, someone posted that Air Canada had changed their flights without telling them. Checked mine, sure enough they were changed. Originally we were flying to Vancouver then to Hawaii on the same day. They changed the flight to Hawaii - it was leaving the next day! When I called them they could not have been less helpful. Basically said cancel your plans if you don't like it. It did get resolved but only after several angry phone calls. (They had us fly through LA with United)

 

[Evelyne]

So now I am starting to be worried, we will be flying for the first time in Septembre ( we've been driving for the last 20 trips). We are looking for directs flights from Montréal or Ottawa. So far the cheapest I found is Air Canada, any suggestions?

 

[Gigi22]

So now I am starting to be worried, we will be flying for the first time in Septembre ( we've been driving for the last 20 trips). We are looking for directs flights from Montréal or Ottawa. So far the cheapest I found is Air Canada, any suggestions?

You have to be proactive. Think about you seats as a piece of property that you have left in the hands of an irresponsible teenager. Even although it is months in advance of your flight, print out the tickets, itinerary and receipt. Then check them online on a monthly basis to make sure nothing has been done to your flight times, the airplane seat configuration, and your seat assignments. Also check the statements for the credit card you used. If you see a credit from Air Canada, then the airline has changed your seats, and for the worse. Check online, check online. Then, pick up the phone and prepare to wait. I was on hold for about 40 minutes when I called to fix a seat change that occurred after I paid extra to select our seats.

 

[papertraveller]

Hey, and don't think that even then you are safe.
When we were boarding Air Canada to return from our August vacation with a group of seven family members my DH was pulled out of the line and reassigned from our family group to the back of the plane!!! I had booked the seats the previous September.
He was told that he was being moved to accommodate a family. When he pointed out to the gate agent that she was breaking up a family, she responded by reaching over and tearing up his original boarding pass in front of him, and pointing at the one that was for the other seat. She said that if he had a problem he could complain when he got home!
He boarded the plane (because the back seats go first) and I was left with the rest. I was livid. I made it clear to every single AC worker I encountered -- including asking (politely) for complaint information from the head flight attendant the second I set foot on the plane.
The family that had been accommodated was sitting directly behind me -- with children OLDER than the ones we were travelling with! And as it turned out, since they were in the middle of our group, when the youngest in our group needed to reach out to mom, they literally had to reach out straight over where my husband would have been sitting.
So how much business has Air Canada lost from us? Three trips booked, four planned. None on their planes.

 

[OnceUponATime15]

We also had seats changed on our return flight in December without notification or warning... I only knew because I check my CC statements regularly. It would have meant a 11 yr old sitting alone at the opposite end & side of the plane from me. Not at all acceptable. I was told it was due to an "equipment change" a different plane.. There was no different plane, I realized when we boarded that they'd screwed up on our original seats putting us in row 1 - which on this flight was first class. lol. We'd paid for regular prefered seats, not first class. Their mistake. We should have gotten an email to let us know.

I called & rebooked the seats and had no problem doing so. It does make me much more vigilant when traveling AC now.

 

[tgropp]

Hey, and don't think that even then you are safe.
When we were boarding Air Canada to return from our August vacation with a group of seven family members my DH was pulled out of the line and reassigned from our family group to the back of the plane!!! I had booked the seats the previous September.
He was told that he was being moved to accommodate a family. When he pointed out to the gate agent that she was breaking up a family, she responded by reaching over and tearing up his original boarding pass in front of him, and pointing at the one that was for the other seat. She said that if he had a problem he could complain when he got home!
He boarded the plane (because the back seats go first) and I was left with the rest. I was livid. I made it clear to every single AC worker I encountered -- including asking (politely) for complaint information from the head flight attendant the second I set foot on the plane.
The family that had been accommodated was sitting directly behind me -- with children OLDER than the ones we were travelling with! And as it turned out, since they were in the middle of our group, when the youngest in our group needed to reach out to mom, they literally had to reach out straight over where my husband would have been sitting.
So how much business has Air Canada lost from us? Three trips booked, four planned. None on their planes.

Sad part of it is that your tax dollars have helped keep this train wreck afloat over the last 30 years. Through their monopoly they ruined Wardair, CP Air, Canada 3000 and others.

 

[damo]

So now I am starting to be worried, we will be flying for the first time in Septembre ( we've been driving for the last 20 trips). We are looking for directs flights from Montréal or Ottawa. So far the cheapest I found is Air Canada, any suggestions?

Just keep checking your flights every day.

 

[bankr63]

So now I am starting to be worried, we will be flying for the first time in Septembre ( we've been driving for the last 20 trips). We are looking for directs flights from Montréal or Ottawa. So far the cheapest I found is Air Canada, any suggestions?

If travelling from the South Shore, it might we worth checking for direct flights from Plattsburgh or Burlington - small airports and an easy drive from Montréal. Not sure if direct flights exist from those two but if they do, I'd jump on them!

Edit...
Example: Allegiant flies from Burlington to Orlando direct on Mondays ($155pp) and Fridays ($175pp). Of course you'll want to check to see if Allegiant is any better than AC! Allegiant has even more direct options from Plattsburgh (4 lane hwy all the way!) and prices are even better than VT.

 

[Canooknic]

Sorry to hear that you've had such bad experiences, but unfortunately it's not just Air Canada!!

The only airline I haven't experienced a problem with (famous last words!) is West Jet...and I have flown A LOT. That being said, DH had a terrible time with them a couple of weeks ago!

Customer service in general has gone out of the window in my opinion, too much caring about money and not repeat business/happy customers - if you lose one customer there's another 10 waiting to take their place!!

 

[papertraveller]

Sad part of it is that your tax dollars have helped keep this train wreck afloat over the last 30 years. Through their monopoly they ruined Wardair, CP Air, Canada 3000 and others.

You're raising ancient history with which we both seem to be familiar! I remember scouring the first AC prospectus in 1988!

On our vacation, we had just come through a crazy room mix-up with Disney in which they made good in a most ample way for the problems. Then to confront AC, where they ripped up the boarding pass? It defied words.

On a happier note, I do hope that you had a wonderful family vacation at Villas at Wilderness Lodge. I note that their staff was the one to solve your problem!

We are DVC owners at BLT, and have had three very enjoyable stays at VWL. In fact, for the next DVC trip I have given our daughter free rein on booking everything, and one of her meal schedules is to take the boat to WL to go to Roaring Forks for the Wilderness Salad.

And just before that trip, we'll be heading to your hometown to enjoy some world-class theatre!

 

[BijouBabe]

I've never done checking flights online, do you have to "check in" or where would someone find the flight information? I'm now concerned as our flight back is with Air Canada, but the actual plane is serviced by United so I want to stay on top of things. I didn't pay for my flight with my CC as I paid debit for my whole trip through the agency I used. I may have to mention to my travel mates to keep an eye on their CC statements just in case, as we booked our tickets at the same time with the same company. I didn't realize until this week we were booked through Air Canada for our return flight and I've never flown with them before.

 

[tgropp]

And just before that trip, we'll be heading to your hometown to enjoy some world-class theatre!

That's great as it is such a pretty place to visit...and reside. We live a block away from the main theatre . Make sure that you sign up to receive their newsletter as you can get some great deals on tickets. Ie., Last year we paid $40 to see Tommy and $20 for Fiddler on the Roof

 

[OnceUponATime15]

I've never done checking flights online, do you have to "check in" or where would someone find the flight information? I'm now concerned as our flight back is with Air Canada, but the actual plane is serviced by United so I want to stay on top of things. I didn't pay for my flight with my CC as I paid debit for my whole trip through the agency I used. I may have to mention to my travel mates to keep an eye on their CC statements just in case, as we booked our tickets at the same time with the same company. I didn't realize until this week we were booked through Air Canada for our return flight and I've never flown with them before.

When flying Air Canada You should be able to check your flight in general by registering with AC online.. including any prepaid extras like seat choice or upgrades
(You may need to register with United since you are flying on a code share flight, but I'd try AC first your info may be with them)
You can set up an account on aircanada.com. You would need your flight confirmation number to set up "my flight". but once done. whenever you log on - your information will be there.

You can also do checking thru the Air Canada mobile app on a smart phone. You can access your info there as well under the My Flight tab.