A Surprise Ban From Air Canada Costs Family $6000
Jackie Reddy August 20, 2019
A mom and daughter were taken off of a Montreal-bound Air Canada flight from the Romanian capital and banned by the airline. It emerged that they were unaware of the ban and booked another flight with the airline, which they were unable to board. The pair spent CAD $8,000 (USD $6,026) trying to get home.
A mother and daughter were removed from an Air Canada flight due to alleged disruptive behavior but were not told of their ban in time to prevent them from re-booking seats with the carrier, the CBC reports. The pair, Ana Constantin, and her daughter, Lisa Maria Paun, had been visiting Romania from Canada and were asked to leave their July 31st flight from Bucharest due to some kind of altercation over Paun’s assigned seat.
As the outlet reports, there are conflicting versions as to what exactly happened on their initial flight, but the pair were nonetheless asked to leave and subsequently banned.
Offering comment for the airline, spokesperson Angela Mah said that Paun and Constantin “became verbally abusive to the crew” while onboard.
But, because they were unaware of any ban, Constantin booked the duo on another flight to Canada, the second leg of which was with Air Canada.
The pair only found out about the ban after they unsuccessfully tried to board their trans-Atlantic flight.
Constantin told the outlet that, in addition to paying almost CAD $8,000 ($6,026) for flights that the pair were unable to board, she was forced to book with an entirely different carrier in a last-ditch effort to return to Montreal.
She told the outlet that, at present, she has received a refund of just over CAD $200 (USD $150) from the airline.
Speaking to the outlet, Constantin said, “I am mentally and financially devastated. I cannot eat. I cannot sleep.”
The story has generated plenty of comments from FlyerTalk Forum users, but for its part, the airline has said that it will be “dealing directly” with the pair.
The outlet has reached out for comment to Air Canada and questioned why the pair were not made aware of their ban prior to re-booking tickets with the airline a second time. In response, the airline clarified that banned travelers are only made aware of any prohibition prior to boarding a flight.
It has also emerged that a letter containing their ban notice was sent via mail, with an emailed copy received by the mother and daughter only after a follow-up by the CBC.
It is unclear exactly how much compensation Paun and Constantin could receive as a result of this incident.
[Featured Image: Air Canada]
Bravo Air Canada..... This is exactly how airlines should deal with disruptive passengers..... As for any inconvenience suffered by the disruptors - tough - this is the price you have to pay for being disruptive in the first place. I will be more than happy to give my business to Air Canada knowing that they are intolerant of any passenger behaviour which is likely to disturb and threaten the safety of their customers. Other airlines please take note. The only problem I have with this incident is that there is currently no system in place to inform other airlines to add the names and passport details of these two scumbags to some kind of centralised 'disruptive passenger' database. Then they will discover the true meaning of the word "inconvenience" when it is universally applied to them as and when they attempt to book future flights.
With today's information hoarding from the airlines. One may think it would be easy enough for their passport numbers to be flagged, stopping them from booking in the first place, forcing them to call the airline direct... No issue with the ban but AC should be issuing a full refund to them since AC never had any intention of allowing them to fly.
"The pair only found out about the ban after they unsuccessfully tried to board their trans-Atlantic flight." "It has also emerged that a letter containing their ban notice was sent via mail, with an emailed copy received by the mother and daughter only after a follow-up by the CBC. So, maybe they weren't home to receive the letter, before booking, but how else was Air Canada supposed to notify them? Seriously, if Air Canada banned them, they must have been very disruptive.
The one and only issue I see with this is that the policy of the airline is that they don't make a passenger aware that he/she is banned until they attempt to board an aircraft: "...banned passengers are only made aware of any prohibition prior to boarding the flight." I have no problems with the fact the airline banned them, just feel that the policy should be the passenger is made aware of their banned status when it happens.
I love it! Ban them for life... As a frequent flyer, I need the flight attendant sharp and focused on their job. I need them to be skilled and ready to help in an emergency. Any time they have to put up with obnoxious, unruly people or spoiled brats, subtracts from their ability to safely and efficiently do their jobs. These type of passengers interferes with my right to have safe and uninterrupted flights. Good riddance!