They’re “Trying to Get Away With the Least Compensation Possible”
Jackie Reddy December 11, 2018
Air Canada has been criticized for failing to offer compensation to passengers whose luggage has been lost, reports the CBC. But Gabor Lukacs, passenger advocate and Air Passenger Rights founder, states that airlines need to be forthcoming about the levels of compensation they can offer travelers.
Air Canada has been criticized for failing to compensate passengers whose baggage has been lost, reports CBC News’ Go Public.
According to passenger Scott Bissell, whose luggage was lost en-route to a trip to Orlando, the airline is “trying to get away with paying the least amount of compensation possible”. Bissell was told that he would not be offered compensation for any clothing or toiletries he purchased while awaiting the arrival of his lost bag.
Speaking of his attempts to contact the carrier over compensation, he said, “It was just a full on ‘No’. I had nothing. I was in a hot city with nothing to wear except the clothes on my back.”
Despite being initially rebuffed, Bissell persisted and was informed that he was entitled to claim “up to $300 US in expenses”, the outlet reports. After filing his receipts and a formal complaint with the carrier, he was given an additional sum of C$500 ($373).
Unfortunately, another Air Canada traveler had a similar story to share. Suzanne Hastings-James’ luggage was lost en-route to Mexico from Nova Scotia and she was informed that she would only be entitled to $50 for a maximum of five days.
Like Bissell, Hastings-James filed receipts for her claim. She was offered additional compensation plus voucher for money off of a future flight.
“I did not accept it. I want Air Canada to accept responsibility for their negligence and apologize,” she was quoted as saying.
But as passenger advocate and founder of Air Passenger Rights Gabor Lukacs explains to the outlet, most passengers aren’t aware of their compensation rights. Airlines need to be honest about what passengers can claim, he explains, adding that travelers, “…are entitled to incur reasonable interim expenses —up to $2,100 Canadian dollars ($1,567), depending on the circumstance and the purpose of their trip.”
In a statement e-mailed to the outlet, the airline’s corporate communications manager Peter Fitzpatrick was quoted as saying that, “We approve reasonable interim expenses. The limits of liability are clearly set out in the itinerary receipt each customer receives and the information is on our website.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
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...read a post on my FB about a musician friend of another friend who's expensive vintage guitar had a hole poked into it by a careless Air Canada baggage handlers who drove a forklift into it. The airline only offered to reimburse him for the case (very minor cost), not the instrument they destroyed. It is a crime that they both require and charge you to check fragile items below by restricting what can be brought in the cabin, then when they screw up and damage them, refuse to take responsibility and duly compensate you for their ineptitude
Canada has so many positive things going for it, but why is there airline so bad.
Some credit cards cards provide this coverage if you use them to pay for your ticket. The amount they will pay and the length of delay to trigger it vary. It isn't the same thing, but it could bridge the gap.
Wait, the details of what are the limits is set out in the itinerary receipt? That's news to me. When my bag was delayed with LH I was told about reasonable expenses, but I was never given a limit. Now, I can see why they don't wanna disclose a limit, because then they have to live up to that limit, PLUS we live in a scammer society now, that's why insurance rates are so high, people trying to scam the systems for stuff. But as a pretty honest person not knowing the limits bothered me because I didn't wanna get stuck with some expense. So I went out and spent the bare minimum. I would've been much more comfortable for the 3-4 days without my bag had I been able to spend like $100 to buy a bag to put the stuff in and whatever. This is why you have travel insurance though, fight this kinda stuff out and while I'll never excuse the airline for trying to get out of expenses like this, travel insurance is much more black and white. The amount is listed right in your policy, the actual items aren't necessarily listed...but you also know that they won't ask you to send them the underwear you bought...which yes, at least at first, LH asked me to do.
I hear such claims ever so often, but so far we have see very little change in that regard. I really don't care about claims, I want to see rulings.