Posted on 08/05/2003 8:28:35 AM PDT by quidnunc
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a horrible experience I had at the airport when an Air Canada agent ripped up my boarding pass after I had asked her if I had an aisle seat. She then told me she was giving my seat — the last one on the plane — to someone else.
I received quite a number of e-mails from readers who felt that they too had been treated badly by Air Canada employees.
"Why does it feel like you are imprisoned and asking for a crumb of bread? I've been made to feel like that when my husband asked a question ... Oh, the power this boarding agent had over us!" wrote one woman.
And from another: "I too have been the victim of Air Canada hatred, which seemed to appear vapor-like out of thin air towards me."
Or this one: "As one who has also run into the obstinate wall of Air Canada customer service, I can commiserate. You are obviously not aware of Air Canada's new motto: 'We're not happy until you're not happy.' "
I received jokes about Air Canada training courses ("Rude and Resentful 101") and a number of employees apologized on behalf of the airline.
Since then, I have taken six Air Canada flights. Here is the diary of my adventures in the air.
July 6: Toronto to Calgary
I've been freaking out wondering if I'd run into the boarding agent who refused to let me on the plane to Calgary yesterday. I'm relieved when I don't.
Today I won't make the same mistake. I vow not to ask Air Canada employees any questions. I must get to Calgary.
I'm still stressed over what happened yesterday. After that boarding agent turned me away, I waited an hour to speak to a manager, but no one showed up, even after three requests.
When I got home, I went to Air Canada's Web site to find out where I could complain. I finally found the ombudsman's e-mail, spent an hour drafting my complaint, then sent it. Instantly, an e-mail comes back telling me I have to send a letter to the Montreal offices. My whole day has been wasted. Air Canada should get with the program. Requiring a complaint on paper is so mid-'80s.
July 10: Calgary to Vancouver
Heading to Vancouver to catch a flight to Honolulu for a vacation. Friendly boarding agents in Calgary give us boarding passes for the leg of our trip from Vancouver to Honolulu so we don't have to check in in Vancouver. We board the plane. Nothing goes wrong.
July 10: Vancouver to Honolulu
The fiancé and I are flying business class. Row 6. We get on the plane. GAAA! There is no Row 6.
Air Canada has decided to switch to a smaller plane, and business class has only five rows and they're filling up quickly. I. Am. Freaking. Out. The stewardesses are no help. "Yes, there is also no Row 19. Strange, isn't it?" one says.
Just. Get. Us. Seats. We have looked forward to this holiday forever. "I don't care if I have to stand in business class for six hours. I'm staying up here," I tell the fiancé. We get the last two business-class seats five minutes before take-off.
Nothing is easy on Air Canada. There is always some screw-up.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalpost.com ...
Is this public transport, or a private company?
Air Canada is a publically-owned company but the Canadian government severely restricts how much stock any one entity can own and further limits the percentage of stock which may be foreign-owned.
A better question might be, "What union do these employees belong to?"
Where there is no competition, the compnay once was run by the government, a socialist government, and the employees, then and now, were/are union members, this is what you get.
The neocommunists in the democrat party here continue to point to Canada as the example that we must follow in all things. BTW, this Air Canada description is exactly why the US government wisely will not allow the TSA agents at the US airports to unionize.
Well, there's this little thing called copyright law, don't you see.
Emirates is one of the better airlines in the world.
Look at what is happening in the music industry where piracy has forced the record companies to contemplate taking legal action against downloaders.
I for one don't want to see that happen to those of us who surf the home pages of the print media.
If this kind of copyright violation continues we're going to see the stuff we post here only in non-copyable PDF format to prevent re-posting.
As a matter of fact that trend is already starting.
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