This is a good story on how the Big Red has improved its customer service not always perfect but light years ahead from 20 years ago.
For those who wish to add their vapid pedestrian comments please feel free but remember Big Red now has load factors at 90% and one day in August moved 120,000 people in one day so they must be doing well in their product and customer service.
Bravo Zulu on the effort
Air Canada flies above and beyond (with video)
On Sept. 3, we were checking in two hours before a flight as my baby girl, Sydney who is 19, was heading to Sydney Australia on her own. She's been planning the trip for months and the anticipation has been unparalleled.
So you can understand the utter desperation, despair and heartbreak to hear: "we don't seem to have your visa on file - do you have a visitor's visa? We can't let you board without it."
A visa for Australia? Who knew? We didn't. It was about 50 minutes away from boarding and we all looked at each other speechless, fully understanding that she was not going anywhere. As my daughter's impending breakdown unfolded before their eyes, the Air Canada check-in dude completely sympathized, called his manager over and they proceeded to work like it was their personal mission to help this girl reach her destination. The manager got us online on the wireless at the airport (which was painfully slow), to the Australian visa site, where we applied and paid for the visa within moments. The confirmation screen "your application will be processed within the next 48 hours" did not comfort us in this situation. Lost, I looked at the manager and he asked to see the ticket to see if maybe he could do something to get her on a flight a couple of days later when, hopefully, the visa would be approved.
Non-refundable. Booked it on Expedia. Did you know there's not much Air Canada can do when you book on Expedia? (mental note to book directly with the airline next time.) Despite this, he sat with me as I called and waited on hold for the Expedia agent. One of his ticket agents, Sophie, tried to board Sydney every couple of minutes "just in case." Within a moment, we heard Sophie say "Wait! did you guys do something?" Apparently, the online visa was processed immediately and showed in their ticketing system. The kid was on her way, 10 minutes to get through security. It would have been very easy for the airline to say "sorry, not our problem - it is the purchaser's responsibility to make sure they have all travel forms."
But they didn't. Their huge hearts showed and I've never been more impressed with a team. I only wish I had been coherent enough to get all their names so I could commend them personally.
They saved a girl's dream and it is so rare that you get to say how an airline moved mountains to help that I thought I had to give them a proper shout out. Thanks, Air Canada.
Kelly MacCallum
Kanata
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