Air Canada - The Worst Airline in the World?
The Set Up
Michelle and I were flying from St. Maarten to Timmins, Ontario with 2 nights in Toronto to see some friends. We flew with WestJet from SXM to YYZ and the trip unto that point was going according to plan. Our friends picked us up and we spent the next 48 hours catching up and trying to get accustomed to the already colder weather.
The next plan was to catch our 4PM flight with Air Canada from Toronto to Timmins, Ontario. This flight is typically 90 minutes. Our friends were kind enough to drop us off at the airport on their way to see family some 2 hours away for the long labor day weekend.
We make our way to the Air Canada counter to check in 2 hours in advance (more than enough time for domestic flights) and wait roughly 30 minutes in line.
The Situation
The lady we speak to at the counter explains to us that our flight is cancelled and that we were already booked for the following day. Now, we know things like that can happen due to weather or mechanical issues and that’s out of the airlines’ purview BUT we asked if we could get compensated and she proceeded to get on the phone with a supervisor.
We know that compensation for these types of delays vary between $400 and $1000 per passenger as explained by Air Canada themselves here.
The agent hung up the phone and told us we would not be compensated as Air Canada was not at fault and we would have to book a hotel and catch our booked flight the next morning. As we were talking, Michelle quickly tried to find the cheapest hotel in the area and at that time it turns out the Airport Sheraton was the only viable option at a whopping $420 a night.
The Quote
I pulled up the compensation form that Air Canada has on their website and insisted with the agent that we were in fact due this money - at the very least a hotel and food vouchers.
She looked at us, and casually stated that due to the long Labor Day weekend, more staff than usual had called in “sick”. Yep! She actually air quoted as she said the word sick. It was almost comical but we weren’t laughing.
I wish I had this exchange on video or at least had jotted down her name, not to get her in trouble per se but to make my case with Air Canada.
We booked that expensive hotel, rolled our luggage to our room and proceeded to make a claim with Air Canada, providing invoices and and the explanation above. On September 12th, we received an automated response:
Are they joking? Outside of their control? The mere fact that an agent literally told us that Air Canada staff were calling in “sick” to enjoy their long weekend makes it their problem. What about our long weekend? What about our plans? We made it to Timmins one day late with a bitter taste that will linger for as long as fly.
We have flown with many different airlines around the world for years, and this was by far the worst customer service/care that we have ever experienced. We understand that the post pandemic situation I affecting all airlines in some way but Air Canada is systematically causing delays and cancellations that could be avoided if they just changed the schedule a little. Instead of showing 3 flights a day make it 2 or 1 and ensure that you fly on time with a full plane and everyone is happy.
Needless to say, we escalated the situation with the Canadian Transportation Agency and filled out an official air travel complaint here. We have yet to hear from them but will be sure to update this post once we do. Recently, a mother and son won their case against Air Canada after filing with the CTA, you can read all about it here.
What Others Are Saying
In recent news, Harry Potter Actor, Matthew Lewis slammed Air Canada for their behavior as he got kicked out of first class, tearing his ticket at the gate and saying the flight is full. Read the entire shocking story here.
The Globe and Mail reports that based on their 38% arrival rate, Air Canada is now considered as the worst airline in North America.