Finally have a chance to sit down and write this out. Really long flight last week out from YYC - HKG and was wondering if I'm unreasonable in being a bit annoyed at how things went down:
1) Flight from YYC-YVR, temperature is -20 in Cowtown. Plane is freezing when we get on. Heaters turned on briefly for < 5 minutes or so and then left off until the plane took off....which wasn't until an hour later. Sat on the tarmac with no announcement or explanation until some irate pax inquired due to potential (and eventual) missed connections. Later found out we were waiting for the de-icer. While the de-icing fiasco was related to YYC, I thought the flight crew could have turned on the heater so we weren't freezing during the prolonged wait. I also thought they could have explained to the pax what was happening and showed a bit more sympathy - and possibly apologize - to those who ended up missing their connections. (Never having left YYC on time regardless of the weather, we had booked our flight to arrive 4 hours before our next connection, so luckily, we had a buffer)
2) Flight from YVR - HKG. Again, delayed once everyone had boarded with no explanation until irate pax inquired. Electrical malfunction turns out to be a problem with the battery. We wait for 2+ hours on the tarmac. Inquired about de-boarding and told it is not permitted. I thought that if the anticipated wait is 90 minutes or greater, passengers are given the option of de-boarding.
New battery is installed and system is rebooted. Early in-flight, the IES of some rows - including mine - go on the fritz. They do a row-specific reboot which fixes some but not all of the malfunctioning screens. I let the FA know and nothing is done for a good 15 minutes. I ring the bell again and speak to the In-Flight Service Director and ask about what they are able to do. She goes to "look into it" and comes back within 5 minutes, hands me these blue customer relations cards and tells me "Sorry, there's nothing we can do". I tell her than on other flights, they have done a system reboot when this happens and she says that she is not willing to do this and walks away. Great TPAC flight, as you can imagine, sitting in Y having already gone through my reading materials during the 2 hour delay.
Yesterday, I go to the website listed on the card she gave me and fill out the form. Interestingly, they ask what your FF status is....which is odd because it doesn't seem like that affects their response (spouse is basic and received the exact same email), which is likely a computer generated response since I received this within 24 hours:
Dear Touring:
Thank you for submitting your onboard compensation claim. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience you experienced.
This goodwill offer entitles you to a one time saving of 5% off of your next booking on www.aircanada.com.
Simply make your booking between 02/06/2011 and 02/05/2012 . Please note all travel must be completed by 02/05/2012.
To receive your discount, please visit www.aircanada.com and enter the one time use promotion code WEDONTCARE in to the Promotion Code box.
This offer is available on a new booking only. The 5% discount applies exclusively on Air Canada published fares and cannot be used for time limited websaver fares, Multi-city bookings, Flight Pass purchases or combined with any other discount.
Please note the fare displayed on the Select Flights screen will reflect the 5% discount rounded to the nearest dollar.
After you have booked your flight, retrieve your booking through Manage my Bookings, found on the home page to purchase any À la carte options. Look for options such as lounge access, travel assistance, in-flight meal vouchers and advance seat selection.
We look forward to welcoming you onboard.
Sincerely,
Air Canada Customer Relations
Wow. A token 5% discount off a regular priced flight and an electronically-generated letter. I feel really special.
I understand that IES are a luxury and can remember flying without them. However, you knew before boarding and brought things along to help pass the time. Coupled with the indifferent attitude of the Service Director plus all the poor communication from AC staff and pax throughout, this journey has left a bad taste in my mouth. Am I being unreasonable if I write to AC about this whole experience?