[G de Franca]

Yes I hear you all. My experience happened back in 2007. Booked my flight to Brazil from Vancouver, they cancelled the connection flight from Calgary to NY and sent me to Toronto instead. After wait on a standby in Toronto for 8 hours, I went to ask for a voucher for food because I was waiting 8 hours in Toronto's airport, and a hotel voucher, because I had lost my connection flight from Sao Paulo to Natal. They said that I wouldn't give me anything, that I had to wait in Sao Paulo's airport for 12 hours until my next flight. So as I got into the flight from Toronto to Sao Paulo, the 'best' was yet to come, I've complained about this to the flight attendant (since their customer service was rude and didn’t want to give me a voucher), and the customer service agent came to the plane saw me complaining to the flight attendant treated to call the police and take me way of the plane. I was humiliated, and very embarrassed. Finally after arrived in Sao Paulo went to the Air Canada booth there, beg for a hotel and food voucher and they finally gave to me. Funny that I had to leave Canada to get some customer service at Air Canada in Sao Paulo. Air Canada, never more!!!

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

When one is on airport property, and especially when one is aboard an aircraft, the safest procedure is to try to avoid ANY conversation with the cabin or cockpit crew--even if this means forgoing all cabin (meal, etc.) service. Grab some take-out food at an "airside" concession prior to boarding. Limiting one's responses to questions, from flight crew, to "yes" or "no," should be the rule. In the case of travel aboard US registered aircraft, citing your (5th Amendment) "right to remain silent" may be a good response to some questions. The latter action may be applicable since Federal statutes and regulations have accorded de facto police power to flight crews. Also, US courts, going all the way back to US v. Juluis & Ethel Rosenberg, have consistently ruled that one can not be penalized, or adjudged guilty in the case of Rosenberg, for exercising their 5th Amendment rights.

[G de Franca]

Originally Posted by Butch Cassidy Slept Here

When one is on airport property, and especially when one is aboard an aircraft, the safest procedure is to try to avoid ANY conversation with the cabin or cockpit crew--even if this means forgoing all cabin (meal, etc.) service. Grab some take-out food at an "airside" concession prior to boarding. Limiting one's responses to questions, from flight crew, to "yes" or "no," should be the rule. In the case of travel aboard US registered aircraft, citing your (5th Amendment) "right to remain silent" may be a good response to some questions. The latter action may be applicable since Federal statutes and regulations have accorded de facto police power to flight crews. Also, US courts, going all the way back to US v. Juluis & Ethel Rosenberg, have consistently ruled that one can not be penalized, or adjudged guilty in the case of Rosenberg, for exercising their 5th Amendment rights.

The difference BCSH is that I'm not a communist. The only thing they could complain about me was that I was complaining. Since when Complaining about a service that you paid for is an illegal?

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Mr/Ms. deFranca:

I'm not saying you were in the wrong (although 66% of this board will probably disagree.) The best way I can think of to express it is it's a US-Canada quirk that grew out of "9-11." The Transportation Security Administration in the US; airline employees in both countries; and the RCMP in Canada (on airport security duty) all seem to think the rights enshrined in the US Constitution, and the Magna Carta, do not apply to them--even though, in the case of the US, the courts tell them otherwise (sometimes.) So, you are not the first to be in the situation you've described. Try telling an American Airlines flight attendant you are going to write a complaint letter about them. Then watch what happens!

For travel to/from Canada you would, probably, be better off with Cubana. Of course, in your case, that's probably not very practical (lay-over/overnight in Havana, and extra visas.) Otherwise, Viasa or some other Latin American carrier. For myself, I'd rather "overnight" en route than go through the aggravation of flying with a sociopathic airline.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Wrong "V." I meant Varig, not Viasa. Anyway I note Varig does NOT offer service to Canada, except through code shares with Air Canada. Based on a quick look, I note Mexicana does offer connecting service Sao Paulo to Montreal via Mexico City. An "overnight," in Mexico City may be necessary. Service on Cubana (via Havana) seems to be available only from Buenos Aires.

[Silent Bob]

G Defranca, just a tip for you (or anyone else) for the next airline you fly: Don't ask at the connecting point for a hotel of your next connection. What you can do is ask the agents to make a note in your records so that the next agent will know to give you a hotel and to also print it out for you as proof of when you reach your next connection. Plus there's no need to speak to a flight attendent, as you can see the end results.

[airhead]

Complaining to any persons who are part of the operations is futile. They can't do anything about it but they can pull you off the flight if you are creating a disturbance.