This is my letter to Air Canada, detailing the events of our return flight from Las Vegas to Toronto, if anyone here can help get someone to address our concerns, it would be appericated.

If there is any senior Air Canada staff on flyertalk, please send me a message and I will give you my email and phone.

HSOLO




It is with much disappointment that I write this letter, as I have been a loyal Air Canada customer for many years and have always made an effort to book my flights with Air Canada. However based on the events of last 2 days and your response to this letter I will have to reconsider my options.

My fiancée and I were in Vegas to celebrate my birthday, and we had a return flight from Las Vegas to Toronto:


AC594
Depart Las Vegas: Monday Sept 6th 11:35pm
Arrive Toronto: Sept 7th 6:47am
Seats 12E, 12F

Monday Sept 6th (which also happened to be my birthday and the reason for our trip) was our last day in Las Vegas, we arrived at the airport aprox 9:15pm which gave us plenty of time to check in and relax, only when we arrived at the counter did we find out that the flight was cancelled. I did not receive any emails, sms, or phone calls from Air Canada during the day. If we had know the flight was cancelled we could have enjoyed our last day in Las Vegas and not waste it.

The reason we were given by the agent at the check-in counter was and I quote “The flight was cancelled, because the flight crew was tired, it was the captains decision” When trying to get more information from the agent, he again said that he didn’t understand why it was cancelled either, but it was the captains decision and there was nothing he could do.

What I don’t understand is how a billion dollar company, and Canada’s flagship airline can allow one employee (the captain) to disrupt the plans and cost 180+ passengers a day of their time? If this captain is too “tired” to do his job, then why can’t the first officer fly the plane? Or why can’t another employee be called to replace him? Why would Air Canada allow this to happen on a holiday when 180+ passengers are trying to return home?

All the passengers were trying to rebook and there were only 4 Air Canada agents at the counter, I didn’t see any senior Air Canada staff, no announcements were made, during the time we were at the counter trying to rebook, the agent who was trying to help us, started to have some kind of seizer, he was convulsing and collapsed hitting head on the luggage belt, and continuing to have seizures. The other agents were trying to help him, there was no senior Air Canada staff there to manage the emergency, there were no security or other airport staff trained in first aid or CPR, the only help came when the passengers waiting with us, called 911.

I know the lack of airport emergency staff is not an Air Canada issue directly, but I wanted you to know how our evening on Sept 6th was, the stress and trauma that we experienced. I can’t help think that captain is responsible, because if he hadn’t cancelled the flight because he was “tired” the agent wouldn’t have been stressed and collapsed. My fiancée still couldn’t sleep last night, kept waking up having nightmares and seeing the agent convulsing, our wedding is less than 2 months away, and we didn’t need these problems.

Sept 7th, we arrived at the airport 8am to board the rescheduled flight supposed to depart at 10:32am We got our boarding passes and went to the gate without any issue. While waiting there were no announcements or any information from Air Canada staff, finally when I looked at the screen it said our flight was “Final Boarding” I went over and asked the gate staff what was going on as we are supposed to depart in a few minutes. She said they were delayed again because they are waiting for catering. When I asked how that can be possible, the flight was supposed to leave the day before at 11:35pm, and its now 10:30am Air Canada had 11 hours to ensure this flight was ready to go, and now we are delayed again? She just shrugged her shoulders and walked down the ramp.

Another 10 minutes pasted and now the screens show that our flight has departed, again there is no announcements nothing said by ANY Air Canada staff, passengers start to gather near the screen when they see it said “departed”

Again I went to the gate agent telling her that according to the screen we are departed, what’s going on, she said, that Air Canada has no catering staff in Las Vegas, that the flight that arrived on Sept 6th and supposed to leave at 11:35pm was “double catered” , when I pointed out to her that the flight at 11:35pm didn’t leave the food would still be on the plane, so what are we waiting for, she said all the food was thrown out last night, and that is why we are delayed again, waiting for catering.

The captain comes out and tells her to start boarding and we will wait on the plane, we board without issue, and after another 15 or 20 minutes a catering truck pulls up and loads some carts on the plane, we then take off without issue.

During the meal service, we are given a ham and cheese sandwich, which by the way it taste was prepared many hours earlier, none of the food available for purchase in the menu was available on our flight. What I don’t understand is why Air Canada would throw all the existing food away and give us a lousy ham sandwich?

As you can see this return flight ruined what was a wonderful trip to Las Vegas, and everything could have been prevented, there was no weather issue or mechanical issue, it was all the actions of Air Canada employees.

If you can please address my concerns, and answer each point, I would appreciate it, I am willing to give Air Canada another chance, and continue booking flights, but I need honest answers. Also Amanda and I expect to be compensated for the trauma that we experienced and the lost day of work on Sept 7th, I will leave the amount up to you, and I hope it would be reasonable consider what we have gone through.