Congratulations Air Canada. You have made a lot of passengers very angry!
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Kerry Eire
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The problem here is quite simple, poor communication. Whatever the airline did to accommodate, feed and compensate the passengers, a large number of people who had a valid contract to be transported on a specific flight at a specific time were repeatedly left with minimal information, were shunted back and forth and generally treated poorly.
Any mechanical device can fail. Duty hours are there for the most important reason-safety. When things go wrong on the ground away from base, airlines depend on ground handlers to interface with passengers. Time after time the interface fails.
This problem occurs across the industry with carriers large and small, legacy and low cost.
Whilst replacement parts, replacement aircraft and replacement crews are not going to be immediately available, keeping passengers properly informed and treating them like intelligent adults should be at the core of handling any delay.
Even at peak season it should not be beyond the resources of a major legacy carrier to source ways of transporting their customers from a well connected airport within 24 hours or sourcing a working replacement, or replacements, from somewhere within a day's flying time.
This weekend's debacle can be equated to the type of farce perpetrated by some of the worst charter carriers of forty and fifty years ago.
Any mechanical device can fail. Duty hours are there for the most important reason-safety. When things go wrong on the ground away from base, airlines depend on ground handlers to interface with passengers. Time after time the interface fails.
This problem occurs across the industry with carriers large and small, legacy and low cost.
Whilst replacement parts, replacement aircraft and replacement crews are not going to be immediately available, keeping passengers properly informed and treating them like intelligent adults should be at the core of handling any delay.
Even at peak season it should not be beyond the resources of a major legacy carrier to source ways of transporting their customers from a well connected airport within 24 hours or sourcing a working replacement, or replacements, from somewhere within a day's flying time.
This weekend's debacle can be equated to the type of farce perpetrated by some of the worst charter carriers of forty and fifty years ago.
Join Date: Dec 1999
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a330pc,
So are you saying those unlucky souls had to wait three days to get out of HOU?
Of course serviceability problems can arise in new aircraft but they're more likely in aircraft that are well past their Best Before date, as WestJet are learning.
It's how you deal with a problem that's the issue here, not the problem itself.
So are you saying those unlucky souls had to wait three days to get out of HOU?
Of course serviceability problems can arise in new aircraft but they're more likely in aircraft that are well past their Best Before date, as WestJet are learning.
It's how you deal with a problem that's the issue here, not the problem itself.
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This has all the makings of a first world problem:
I have had the pleasure of this before, and the 'meal vouchers' you refer to were based on their cost, so I got a $5 for breakfast and $8 each for lunch and dinner.
We were not given refunds, but FF mileage, which is about worthless.
Forget the missed connections, they did nothing about that.
What about the cost of missed meetings, work, and other commitments pax had?
Join Date: May 2009
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**** happens in this industry. If you absolutely have to be somewhere don't leave it to the last minute, particularly in the peak of the peak when rerouting options are limited.
100% reliability is impossible. Even the best of the best get it wrong sometimes.
100% reliability is impossible. Even the best of the best get it wrong sometimes.
Join Date: Apr 2010
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If you have any occasion planned that you MUST attend it is common senese to get there ahead of time - and that applies to walking, cycling, driving or flying
It may mean an extra 5 minutes or an extra couple of days but that is the price you pay
Anyone who depends on airlines (or worse train & bus companies) to perform as scheduled is taking a risk - normally it works out but when it goes wrong you finish up like those poor sods stuck in an 18 hour trafic jam outside Dover this weekend.
I would say that, over years of being delayed, bumped, diverted etc the ONLY airline that sent a replacement aircraft to pick us up was Air Canada...................
It may mean an extra 5 minutes or an extra couple of days but that is the price you pay
Anyone who depends on airlines (or worse train & bus companies) to perform as scheduled is taking a risk - normally it works out but when it goes wrong you finish up like those poor sods stuck in an 18 hour trafic jam outside Dover this weekend.
I would say that, over years of being delayed, bumped, diverted etc the ONLY airline that sent a replacement aircraft to pick us up was Air Canada...................
Join Date: Jun 1999
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If you have any occasion planned that you MUST attend it is common senese to get there ahead of time
Join Date: Dec 2001
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If you have any occasion planned that you MUST attend it is common senese to get there ahead of time
All passengers given meal vouchers for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Sometimes airlines screw up the customer service completely.
Sometimes they really surprise you with excellent service beyond expectations (a free night at the Steigenberger followed by a first class upgrade the next morning...)
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