Twitter Topic: Air Canada Sucks!
So as many people experienced during the crazy snow storms of the Christmas holidays, airlines in Canada are not equipped for severe weather conditions. I have spoken with some people on this issue and all have said that if modern airline equipment cannot handle the freezing temperatures of extreme weather, and if due to the poor economic times the airlines cannot afford to upgrade their equipment, the least they could do is instill the value of good customer service in their employees and professional policies. However, this message does not seem to be reaching Air Canada.
The most recent example of this was tonight, with my little sister coming home to Vancouver on an Air Canada flight from Calgary set to arrive at YVR by 5:50pm. The plane was diverted (I guess?) to Victoria due to the weather conditions. Now that much is understandable – stuff happens. However, updates to the condition of the flight were only posted about five minutes before the posted arrival time. So if the flight was delayed to 6:50, at 6:45pm the flight would be further delayed to 7:45pm. So conceivably many people would have come to the airport for 6:50 and be stuck until 7:50, at which point the flight was further delayed. Eventually the flight was delayed again and arrived at YVR at 10:45pm. Of course, as is normal for ill-equipped airlines during this weather, the luggage compartments required de-icing and despite the passengers coming off the plane at 11pm, the luggage did not come off the plane until much later. Now, these technical topics are not so relevant as the issue of what happened on the plane.
I posted on Twitter:
My sister’s flight was grounded for FIVE HOURS & apparently Air Canada did not offer them ANYTHING to eat or drink. I’ll have to make sure.
Responses:
 |
megsmitley @kulpreetsingh Typical! How awful. Hope she’s arrived safely.
|
|
 |
ValerieMacLean @kulpreetsingh No need to check, not when it’s Air Canada.
|
|
 |
kabutar @kulpreetsingh I’ve heard of this happening before with AC (with variations i.e. food & drink ran out since deplaning wasn’t allowed etc)
|
|
 |
erikmagraken @kulpreetsingh Air Canada or Westjet? I’ve heard some stories of AC being woefully prepared for this winter weather.
|
When I asked my sister basically she said that they gave the passengers water and pretzels over those five hours. Perhaps the airline was also not equipped for these types of emergencies, but you’d have to imagine with Air Canada running so many flights day in and day out across the world, they’d have some experience with delays and how to keep customers happy. I’m not sure if it was just a shortage of real food on the plane, or if it’s Air Canada’s policy to just keep their passengers at basic sustenance level for as long as the delay lasts, without considering spending more money on real food. Admittedly, this is a mild issue compared to some of the travel nightmares caused to entire families by Air Canada in other instances.
Obviously we “baby” our little sister so I was a little frustrated for her, and posted on Twitter:
If WestJet was the larger carrier, would it have as poor, negligent treatment of customers as Air Canada?
People responded:
 |
rmdstudio @kulpreetsingh I think we need one or two more air carries so the competition would have driven them to improve their services.
|
|
 |
jeffkee @kulpreetsingh So my answer is no, even the dominating company can still put the values into the actions of their employees.
|
|
|
jeffkee @kulpreetsingh A corporations policy and education of its employees to feel ownership of the company is important based on my corporate exp.
|
|
 |
PureEminences @kulpreetsingh If Canada had more than one major airline
|
|
 |
raincoaster @kulpreetsingh No. Service is its edge. My dad used to work for Canadian, and they were proud of their service. Air Canada has ALWAYS sucked
|
|
|
kabutar @kulpreetsingh (2) that no deplaning allowed incident was actually due to Transport Canada safety regulations I believe
|
|
|
kabutar @kulpreetsingh I’m not sure, really – on one side WJ built themselves on service, on the other they’re also bound by regulations, like (1)
|
It was interesting to get feedback on Twitter about this topic but I wonder how many others have discussed their frustrations about Air Canada on Twitter. If Air Canada is the target of customer complaints in general, the same is being reflected on social media as well.
Replies to my post on Twitter (and blog comments below):
 |
erin337 @kulpreetsingh You might have an easier time asking who has NOT had a problem with Air Canada.
|
|
 |
buzzbishop @kulpreetsingh fly westjet. That’s what you can do about it.
|
|
 |
duanestorey @kulpreetsingh yup.. but they don’t care.. http://tinyurl.com/4bugqe
|
|
 |
mluu1179 @kulpreetsingh i’ll have to be flying back to Vancouver shortly too. I’m not looking forward to it b/c of the snow
|
|
|
jeffkee @kulpreetsingh Yeah I always felt AC was a bit off.. Prefer Westjet for sure.
|
|
|
raincoaster @kulpreetsingh Good one! They have it coming, but don’t care.
|
Comments & Trackbacks
Follow the Comments on This Post
This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 2:37 am under: Uncategorized.
January 5th, 2009 02:56
It’s the monopoly mindset. They’ve always had inferior standards, because first as a Crown Corporation it didn’t matter how good they were or whether or not they kept customers coming back. It carried over once they were privatized and bought up Canadian Airlines, the only competition. I was flying a fair bit after the sale, and the old Canadian crews would apologize as they handed you your dinner tray with paper and plastic coffee cup, plastic utensils.
WestJet does things right. They realize they’re not a cargo airline, they’re a service provider with clients, not baggage. They are up there with Cathay Pacific in fighting the trend to treat air travel like bus travel.
Incidentally, bus travel is actually improving at the same time.
January 5th, 2009 03:02
... Twitter Topic: Air Canada Sucks! – Kulpreet Singh ...
January 5th, 2009 04:24
Over the years, I’ve had poor treatment on BOTH Air Canada and WestJet. Since my last trip out on WestJet (I fly domestically a considerable bit), I’ve had to reconsider which is the better airline.
The term ‘Canadian air service; is a misnomer – especially since the industry is set up to hold on to their staff and suck the life out of them at infinitum.
I’ve seen business models in other countries’ airlines where once a staff member has had his or her share of experience, likely that person will go off and benefit society in a new venture (and make way for fresh, enthusiastic blood).
With Air Canada and WestJet, one can observe the staff continuing to get more bitter by the day – gone are the times where the folks at WestJet are acting like ‘owners.’ Instead, I’d rather call them boners.
I’ve seen flagrant racial discrimination, the open ridicule of passengers, mis-treatment of the elderly and more – stuff that even the most unruly of passengers would never do to one and other.
Someone once told me that the the root of this issue was as a result of the unionization of the workforce – clearly this is not true considering that the issues seem to be similar with WestJet and Air Canada. One with a union, the other without.
That said, the model needs to change and the staff need to become accountable to the clients they’re in charge of serving. Competition in the industry also needs to be supported.
I was sad to see Harmony Airlines lose the battle – maybe the next Harmony that comes around will actually stick around and give the consumers choice.
Anyone wanna start an airline?
January 5th, 2009 12:47
My brother had a similar experience going from YVR to Philly. Awful, awful experience: http://twitter.com/minjae/status/1097776575
January 5th, 2009 13:14
@raincoaster
Yeah I’m wondering if sometimes during bad weather, it’s better and quicker to take the bus!
@Minjae
Wow, that is a truly awful experience. There must be something that can be done by all these people who are fed up with Air Canada.
@Raj
I agree with you both have a lot of problems with customer service. I think, however, the ratio of negative experiences for Air Canada passengers is higher relative to positive experiences. There are a few smaller airlines in Canada but they can’t really compete on the prices. Yeah too bad about Harmony – I think our population is so small and our land mass so large that it’s hard to operate a successful airline.
January 5th, 2009 14:23
Last year (Jan – Dec) I had flown 60,000 miles, with approximately 55,000 of that flown on Air Canada or it’s partners in Star Alliance (Air New Zealand has about 16,000).
I’ve flown WestJet within Canada and the US.
I’ve had bad experiences on all airlines. I’ve learned to deal with all of them. If you don’t fly much, it can be a hassle, but once you realize they’re all fallible, life becomes easier.
I’ve also had great experiences on Air Canada. Half the battle is knowing a flight is going to be cancelled. I had a flight to Prince George on the Sunday before Christmas that I knew was going to be cancelled due to all the weather warnings. Air Canada’s, WestJet’s, most airlines allowed travellers flying out on that day to change their flights to an early or later date. I chose later. I called AC Sunday morning, early, was on hold for maybe half an hour and changed my flight to Monday, free of charge.
Monday I made sure to get to the airport a bit early. It was a mess. Again, half the battle is knowing what line-up to get in. Ask questions, look at the departure board, if you think you’re going to be late, look for an agent. Be proactive.
Thankfully with all my travel, I was able to use the executive check-in line and bypass the mess at regular check-in. Also thanks to all the travel for work, I was able to bypass a lot of the executive check-in line when they were asking if people were elite/super-elite with the airlines.
When you take a road trip, you plan your route, look at road reports, make sure you have enough sundries. When you fly, you have to do the same thing.
Of course there will always be reports of “Air Canada Sucks”. It’s a national airline that travels to places WestJet wouldn’t dream about. I grew up and go home frequently in Northern BC. WestJet’s northern BC route is Prince George. It doesn’t fly to places like Fort St. John, Terrace, Prince Rupert. It stays on sexy routes like Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa.
So of course there’ll be more reports on Air Canada sucking. It’s not rocket science.
Of course there are staff that are bitchy. There are an equal amount of bitchy customers. Don’t get me started on armrest hogs and people who take the window seat who have to get up and use the bathroom a billion times on an hour long flight that you’re constantly having to get up for.
As for what the airline feeds you. Again, be prepared. They’re not your Mom. They’re responsible for getting you to and from a destination, not to feed you. I bring snacks, fruit, veggies on all flights regardless of meal servings. I’ll bring an empty water bottle and fill it up after I pass through security.
Sorry for the long comment. Just thought I’d throw in some thoughts from someone who has a trip to Winnipeg and Toronto within 2 weeks and my experiences of flying in general.
As a frequent flier, if WestJet had a customer rewards travel that would be beneficial, I’d consider flying it. But flying AC allows me priority airport security check-in, more baggage, priority airport check-in and lounges at most airports that I can grab breakfast, lunch, or drinks in, all complimentary.
Yes, I’ve had problems with AC. But if I’m going to complain about one airlines service, it’ll be in comparison to experiences on others.
I think most airlines should follow Air New Zealand’s lead. They have awesome customer service both at airport check-ins and on flights. Especially when there’s a lot of fog cancellations out of Sydney to Auckland and a mess at AKL with everyone trying to get back to North America somehow.
January 5th, 2009 15:10
... Air Canada, despite all the bad reviews, I’ve only had good experiences flying with them. But, I’m weird because I love flying in ...
January 6th, 2009 19:09
Air Canada is absolutely brutal. We also got diverted to Victoria on January 4th and were left at the airport all night with our little baby with NO BAGS! No hotel vouchers, no explanation other than “we can’t be responsible for weather related issues”. They lost our bags somewhere between Kelowna and Victoria and only said “well it happens, you can try to file a claim and hope for the best”. Brutal. We are now back home in Japan and still have heard nothing concerning our bags. All our Christmas presents, clothes, souvenirs, videos, my cell phone, everything is gone. And they are impossible to actually contact. Air Canada should not even be operating they treat their customers (and employees) so badly.
January 10th, 2009 23:54
Thanks for your replies Dave and Tania! I appreciate your sharing your viewpoints. I guess everyone has had unique experiences and something to say about one airline or the other (or all of them in general). You’re right, Tania, being prepared makes the whole trip easier, although I agree with other commenters that if you’ve paid for a ticket the least airline staff can do is try to give you good customer service.
June 28th, 2009 16:42
June 28, 2009 —- Aeroplan.com website is down. An error message and instructions to call reservations line. The attendant has no idea of a problem on the website and instructed that I call tech support. The tech guy asked ‘ibm or mac’ (I was on a mac). He asked that I replicate the error – I did. He blamed the safari browser and asked that I try explorer. He then admitted he couldn’t support a mac, no one else could, the manager was not in and they knew they had website troubles. No, he would not issue a reason code that would save me from paying $ 30 to book through the reservation desk – because it was ‘policy’ and remember – there is no manager to be found.
I said – this is bullshit and smells like a scam – a farce to extract $30 per user to pay for website repairs?? I not so politely said that was not the behaviour of Air Canada so he could issue me the code or get me a manager. He came back on line and asked for my travel requirements – didn’t know the airport IDs (yyz, sna, ywg), didn’t understand there were 4 airports in the LA area thereby creating numerous option – and told me the legs of travel weren’t available….. I set him straight – and I am still on hold.
The saga continues. The tech twinkie tells reservations that I can’t find the flights I want. Hello? Its a site error code. So the reservation gal is incapable of helping and just wants to charge me $ 30. So I ask to — again – speak to a supervisor… now I get the call centre supervisor – not tech support again – so no one will issue this elusive ‘code’ that saves me from spending $ 30 because their website is broken. Again — I am put on hold but this time I give up. There is no point. Unempowered talking heads execute thoughtless corporate policy and ineffective pass the buck corporate outsourcing deals make cross finger pointing a breeze — all without any care for logic or service…. and supervisors don’t work weekends in the summer.
One more loyal Aircanada customer leaves the fold.
August 3rd, 2009 19:49
MONTREAL — The Quebec Superior Court has granted authorization to launch a class-action lawsuit challenging Groupe Aeroplan Inc.’s practice since October 2006 of cancelling points accumulated in its loyalty program.
The motion, obtained by Montreal lawyer Owen Falquero of Merchant Law Group LLP, was filed on behalf of about seven plaintiffs across Canada. But the number of petitioners, if and when a class-action suit is launched, could balloon to thousands of people.
The motion was filed formally on behalf of Noella Neale of Port Coquitlam, B.C., a single mother whose 150,000 points were annulled by Aeroplan because she hadn’t made a contribution or a redemption in her account for one year, a period during which she had fallen ill.
Those points fell victim to Aeroplan’s rules, instituted in October of 2006, under which the company erases points in an account dormant for 12 months.
In a telephone interview, Neale said she was going to pay for her daughter’s trip to New Zealand — her graduation gift — until she tried to pay from her account and saw that it had been emptied.
Aeroplan spokeswoman JoAnne Hayes declined to comment on the issue because it is now before the courts.
In a statement, Aeroplan noted that “no class action has yet been filed. This motion is the first procedural step before any such action can be instituted.”
The company noted that “petitioners (are) seek(ing) court permission to sue Aeroplan on behalf of program members in Canada to obtain reinstatement of expired miles, reimbursement of any amounts already expended by Aeroplan members to reinstate their expired miles, $50 in compensatory damages and an undetermined amount in exemplary damages on behalf of each class member, all in relation to changes made to the Aeroplan program concerning accumulation and expiry of Aeroplan Miles as announced Oct. 16th, 2006.”
But Aeroplan stressed that it “is of the view that there are good grounds for opposing the motion for authorization and will vigorously defend any class action, should one be authorized by the court.”
Neale said: “I felt like they stole from me.”
“If the bank took my money like that, it would be theft. I earned those points. They belong to me, and (Aeroplan) has no right to take them away from me.”
– Canwest News Service
November 4th, 2009 16:19
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOW does AIRRRRRRRRRRR canada suck!!!!!!!!!!
I booked my vacation with my boyfriend online with Air Canada Vacations to the Dominican Republic. First of all I had bad experience with the customer service over the phone when trying to book a seat, they were extremely unprofessional.
Next we get to the Dominican but BOTH our luggage is misssing! BOTH, what are the odds! On a direct flight from Montreal! Then the Air Canada rep was totally useless and rude, would not call lost & found, he refused!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe it, now could the resort’s hotel manager. My sister back home had to do his job and after calling six different numbers someone finally told her they do not know where our luggage was!
I had liquid medication in my bag that I was not aloud to bring in my carryon so I began to panic. The next day, all the rep seemed to be interestedin was whether we would buy a tour with him! He would not even call the local airport for us! They told my sister that we would get our luggae the next day and we got nothing, then the day after that and nothing. Had I known we weren’t going to get our luggage I would have bought my meds but it was too late, at 2 am on thursday i was rushed to the clinic and got a needle in my behind after two days of pain. Horrified, that’s what I was. I had to keep taking meds for the rest of my trip.
The fact that they lied to us made me sick to my stomach and all the people on board with us were shocked and outraged! We arrived on Sunday morning to the Dominican airport just to learn that air canada delayed the flight because they FORGOT TO PUT WATER ON THE PLANE! come one for the love of God! I was starting law school the next morning at 8 a.m. and this was the vacation from hell!! At that airport, Air Canada said our luggage is waiting for us in Montreal. On board the flight attendants said they brought our luggage to the Dominican! What on earth, can’t they get something right!? In Montreal they told us it cannot have been on that flight, but surely enough they flew it down to Dominican just to come back to Montreal!
When I retrieved our luggage it was totally damaged, my father-in-law is a journalist and took plenty of pictures (wheels broken, zippers broken…) stuff were missing and my products leaked all over my clothes. If that was not enough all they want to give us is 20% off my next flight BUT it must be within the next 12 months and not in combination with any reward miles… When I try to call them there is no answer, when I call customer service and lost luggage they don’t know what I’m talking about. The lady that had called me with the 20% rebate even gave me a wrong number!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This disaster is going into 6 newspapers next week!
On top of that, one of my professors said that according to Quebec’s Civil Code, their clauses to limit their responsibility go against the law! And he told the entire class about one of his cases where an Air Canada baggage truck crashed into a small plane that was taking off! My parents-in-law missed their fcruise because an air canada pilot was drunk and the flight was canceled. And last week they lost my sister’s luggage! Never flying with them again and that’s a promise!!!!
Oh and I forgot, the lady named Lisa Hope from Air canada said they remove baggages when there are too many! OMG!
December 5th, 2009 19:58
Air Canada really sucks. Without a doubt, the worst service I’ve ever had in over 30 years of flying. Check out my blog for the full story and Air Canada’s response.
The bottom line from my perspective? Air Canada only cares about your money, not in providing quality of service or your comfort.
DON’T FLY WITH THEM!!!
December 17th, 2009 03:51
The Center for Media Research has released a study by Vertical Response that shows just where many of these ‘Main Street’ players are going with their online dollars. The big winners: e-mail and social media. With only 3.8% of small business folks NOT planning on using e-mail marketing and with social media carrying the perception of being free (which they so rudely discover it is far from free) this should make some in the banner and search crowd a little wary.
onlineuniversalwork