[hulosh]

How Does Air Canada Get Away With This??

Our daughter came home for Christmas from Montreal via Vancouver with Air Canada on Dec. 19, 2008. Her flight was delayed a couple of hours and she didn't get her luggage on arrival. All this mishap was blamed on the weather. We didn't make a big deal of it and went in the long line in front of the baggage counter to fill out the forms. We were told it would be a day or so before the luggage was delivered to our home. While we were filling out the forms two more AC flights arrived and half of the people got their luggage, and the other half joined the long line in front of the baggage counter. When we went to pick up our son coming from Japan with AC the next day the exact scene was re-lived. His flight was late, he didn't get his luggage, and half the people from the three flights we observed were in the same situation.

This was two weeks ago. Since then our son's luggage was delivered but we have been trying desperately to get any information about our daughter's luggage. Her Christmas was ruined.

We check their online 'baggage tracer' site ten times a day. We have called the phone number on the baggage claim form on a daily basis only to talk to a call center overseas. The person there looks at the online file that we see and can provide no extra information at all.

We have made multiple trips to Victoria Airport hoping if we talked to a 'real person' we might get some information. All we have received is a cold, incompassionate response from an AC agent saying that they don't know where her luggage is and when they do they will let us know.

We travel a few times a year both within Canada and overseas, and have never experienced such unfriendly, uncaring service from any other airline. If any business ran their operation like Air Canada does, they would be out of business and facing numerous small claims court cases.

One wonders how Air Canada can get away with this and not be held accountable for the emotional and financial stress they inflict upon their customers.

Hulya Gunch

[airhead]

As long as people are buying tickets from these airlines, these airlines are going to continue selling tickets. Nobody has come up with a better solution at a better price. Everyone wants cheap tickets and first class service. Either the public needs to buckle down and boycott the airlines or the government needs to reregulate them.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

If the rules in Canada are similiar to those in the USA you, hopefully, filed a "Lost Baggage Report" at the final destination shown on your daughter's ticket. Your post suggests that was Victoria. In the USA, one has, almost, no rights in the absence of such a Report. Next, you should file a complaint with Transport Canada. Fortunately, Canadian regulations are, substantially, more pro-consumer (with regard to domestic air travellers) than is the case in the USA. I believe Transport Canada has information about how to file a complaint on its website. Finally, next trip, go WestJet!

[don'tflyaircanada]

Our daughter had a similar experience flying back to Vancouver on Dec 27th. Half the luggage on the plane was missing. In month since we have been treated to the worst possible customer service. Air Canada is an INSULT to the service industry. The staff is HOSTILE & RUDE. As a proud Canadian I am offended that the word CANADA is part of their name. They should rename themselves Air Totally Friggen Useless.

[Jetliner]

I'm not a fan of the over seas call center thing, however it really doesn't matter who you talked to. They are all looking at the same computer information. You said you've been to the airport. Obviously, it's the same info. Fortunately there are VERY few bags that never show up, however there are still some that don't, and it's possible that Her's is one of them.

One thing that might help is to have her get together a list, as best she can of what's inside the bag. The problem is all too often people don't put a name tag on the outside of the bag with their own info. Either they just don't bother, they borrowed the bag and it still only has Aunt Sussie's name tag or worse yet, I've seen people quite often grab a name tag from the counter and put it on blank. Even if she did have one, it's still possible that the handle has come off one way or another, and so the contents would then be the only way to identify what's inside. I would also go to the airport for this,as the over seas call centers may loose some of the info in translation.