Thanks Troy. Luckily I got on the flight, it would have been a personal disaster otherwise (and radio bulletins now say no further flights are available until Saturday).
Still, shame that I had to be bullied for ten minutes by the initial employee, and soundly 'told off' by another at the gate, for 'not turning up early to make sure I got a seat'. It seems they've lost sight of who the customer is here. There's nothing on the ticket that advises that as being necessary. Providing I turn up before cut-off time, I expect to get a seat, since my payment legally seals a contract for that service with the provider. It's not 'first come, first served', or whatever suits them best at the time.
It's not as if Air Canada is a bucket flight provider offering lovely cheap seats and struggling to stay afloat so that it can continue to provide a great-value service for its customers. Rather, it seems to have a monopoly, and therefore little incentive to change.
You're right, I've been on several where they've asked for volunteers, but they're being offered $500 in compensation and another flight next day, or similar. Plus, they're volunteers. In this case I was offered no choice. The rep firstly told me there would be compensation, then when I asked for details, changed his mind. When I said I thought that was very bad policy, he threatened to remove me from the flight, and asked my elderly relative to leave the airport. It was an extraordinary over-reaction, which leads me to think he's sick of dealing with this situation repeatedly and simply can't find another job.
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