Programs: Air Canada Aeroplan, Delta SkyMiles, Southwest Rapid Rewards
Posts: 189
Statistics
You bring up an excellent point, Simon. Where, exactly, CAN Canadians get statistics like our American friends do, about carrier on-time performance, and the reliability of flights, such as the list of the most-perenially delayed, etc.?
Because of the inaction of the Canadian Government and their complete misplacement of priorities, it is easier to find out how much Stockwell Day's Chief of Staff spent on lunch (as if any Canadian could care less) than it is to find out that, perhaps, a selected AC/WS/PD flight is delayed 95% of the time.
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Posts: 388
Quote:
Originally Posted by PointWeasel
Given that I was actually on this flight, here are the facts:
- The FA in J was pleasant and very apologetic. I couldn't help but ask about the crew time-out issue and she replied "we decided to go ahead and work the flight otherwise it just snowball into tomorrow for everyone on board".
Err...I'm assuming that was the cabin crew....I wonder if you had a legal flight crew ??
could we just close this thread down? this is just becoming a personal attack on every moving object post.....
we went through the entire story with at least 2 viewpoints, we chatted about the possible recourses / follow ups on the fact there may be an ongoing prob in MEX though the flight delay was a one-off event...........
Location: YYC, AS MVP til 2007 (or 2061!), AC Elite (again), UA Basic, AA Basic, SPG Gold, FPC Platinum, HH Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mattm00se
Err...I'm assuming that was the cabin crew....I wonder if you had a legal flight crew ??
I was told that the first crew timed out which is fairly obvious since AC 993 departs at 915 am and it didn't depart til almost 5 pm. So my crew left YYZ at 5 pm and arrived back at 415 am almost a full 12 hours. Not sure if a crew member can speak to how that works. I was certainly appreciative that the crew decided to hang in there rather than forcing an overnight and another go at it the following day.
Location: YYC, AS MVP til 2007 (or 2061!), AC Elite (again), UA Basic, AA Basic, SPG Gold, FPC Platinum, HH Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by global_happy_traveller
could we just close this thread down? this is just becoming a personal attack on every moving object post.....
we went through the entire story with at least 2 viewpoints, we chatted about the possible recourses / follow ups on the fact there may be an ongoing prob in MEX though the flight delay was a one-off event...........
The thread police have arrived.
I would argue that this thread should remain open so I can post my response from AC when it arrives in a matter of weeks.
Location: YYC, AS MVP til 2007 (or 2061!), AC Elite (again), UA Basic, AA Basic, SPG Gold, FPC Platinum, HH Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle
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So an update:
I received a reply last week to the generic online form I filled out for AC Customer Relations in YYC and have yet to reply to them. The response was, in my opinion, lacklustre.
Here are the details:
Thank you for your email. We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us and are pleased to address your concerns. On behalf of Air Canada, I offer my sincere apologies for the inconvenience that you experienced.
While we make every effort to operate our flights as scheduled, regretfully, delays and cancellations sometimes occur. In these circumstances, it is very important to ensure that the needs of all affected customers are being met. When handled with courtesy and professionalism, most passengers will accept the inconvenience and understand that their safe travel must always be our first priority. We realize how important on-time departures and arrivals are for our customers, and certainly regret the inconvenience you experienced.
As there are instances where avoiding a flight delay is impossible, times shown on tickets are not guaranteed, and do not form part of the contract for carriage on any airline.
Our records indicate that all customers were proactively issued a travel credit in the amount of $100.00. Here is a copy of the letter issued:
01/07/2009
Dear Valued Customer:
Reference File#: EMCO 0993XXXXXXXXX
Please accept our sincere apology for the inconvenience you experienced during the disruption of flight AC993 on 01/07/2009.
Air Canada takes pride in maintaining the safety and comfort of our passengers and crew. However, we do acknowledge that we have upset your travel plans.
As a gesture of goodwill, we are pleased to provide you with a credit for future travel for new bookings, on Air Canada or Air Canada Jazz in the amount of $100.00 CAD.
This credit is valid for one year from today and is transferable to another person of your choice (applicable taxes and surcharges apply).
If booking on our website, we would be pleased to apply this credit upon completion of your next trip. Simply fax this letter and the itinerary/receipt from your trip to our Refund Services department at (204) 941-2789. If you are authorizing another person to use your travel credit, please print your name on the travel credit letter. Air Canada will then verify the name on the original credit. Alternatively, to apply the credit to a telephone booking in North America, please call 1-888-247-2262. If you are calling from elsewhere, consult <www.aircanada.com/en/customercare/ > for our phone number and refer to the Reference File number above.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. We hope your future travel with us will be more enjoyable.
Sincerely,
Air Canada
We realize that inflight entertainment adds to the overall enjoyment of your flying experience. As such, Air Canada continues to improve the quality and choice of options available. We regret that the video system was not functioning properly during your flight. While these systems are tested routinely, some malfunctions are not detected until after departure.
As a gesture of goodwill, 3000 Aeroplan bonus miles will be credited to your Aeroplan account shortly. We thank you for your patience.
Thank you for choosing Air Canada. We look forward to the opportunity of welcoming you onboard in the near future.
Sincerely,
XXXXX XXXXXX
Customer Relations
When I first read the response, I laughed.
For starters, at no time was I offered an EMCO in the amount of $100 for AC 993. Whom was I supposed to receive this from? UA staffers at MEX? AC FAs on board? The clueless agents that met us upon arrival in YYZ at 415 am?
Secondly, while flight times are not guaranteed and we all know that, no contact from the airline in the form of a call, text, email for a flight delayed for almost 9 hours is unreal in the age of technology.
Thirdly, are Elites in Exec Class compensated the same as a tour group in Y?
Fourthly, 3000 miles for no IFE in Exec Class? I haven't searched all of the Goodwill Compensation miles awarded recently but this seems a pawltry amount to me.
I look forward to some feedback from others before I generate a reply to Calin's office.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PointWeasel
I was told that the first crew timed out which is fairly obvious since AC 993 departs at 915 am and it didn't depart til almost 5 pm. So my crew left YYZ at 5 pm and arrived back at 415 am almost a full 12 hours. Not sure if a crew member can speak to how that works. I was certainly appreciative that the crew decided to hang in there rather than forcing an overnight and another go at it the following day.
Even at 12 hours, it is well within the contractual paramaters of a turnaround duty day for Flight Attendants. Not dissimilar to a Caracas all-nighter turn.
We were offered 5% off our next AC flight (Excluding taxes and surcharges of course) when the IFE did not work on a YYC-LHR flight. It makes a small difference but not much with all the taxes and surcharges being excluded from the discount.
Its difficult to find out from the Aeroplan website exactly how much it would cost to purchase 3000 miles, but I know what I would have to spend to get that.
Location: YYC, AS MVP til 2007 (or 2061!), AC Elite (again), UA Basic, AA Basic, SPG Gold, FPC Platinum, HH Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACYYZ/SD
Even at 12 hours, it is well within the contractual paramaters of a turnaround duty day for Flight Attendants. Not dissimilar to a Caracas all-nighter turn.
Good to know. What is the time limit if you don't mind me asking?
You bring up an excellent point, Simon. Where, exactly, CAN Canadians get statistics like our American friends do, about carrier on-time performance, and the reliability of flights, such as the list of the most-perenially delayed, etc.?
The fundamental problem, though, is that you have to be very careful in how you define on time performance. In the US, this is typically calculated by the push-back time. This has lead to the debacles that have occurred at DFW (and other places) where the plane has pushed back, then the passengers were trapped on the aircraft for hours with overflowing lavs and no food/bevs.
OTOH, if you base it on landing time, you run the risk of the aircraft taking some risks to make it on time, and takeoff time would be too uncertain due to airport ops.
There must be a way to do it, but it has to be a composite measurement of some sort.
ouch $100 is a slap on the face..... i got delayed 6 hrs in SFO due to snow storm on the inbound flight and i was offered $12 food credit....it sounds like a copy & paste letter from their customer relations department...i would definitely pursue it!
