<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MoreMiles:
Stranded passengers were once "CONFIRMED" too... but does that mean anything?
When the flight is overbooked for any reason, revenue, mechanical, natural disaster, etc... passengers have to be rebooked.
There is the choice of letting a small group wait for a long time or letting a large group wait for a short time. Obviously, AC chooses the former.
Imagine our healthcare running this way, and your surgery gets cancelled because of the power outage. Now you have to wait for another 8-12 months because there are all these "CONFIRMED" bookings ahead of you.
Would you still think this is the right way to handle things?</font>
Actually, in British Columbia at least, that has been the result for some patients waiting surgery after job action by nurses, for example.
I don't agree with that, and I wouldn't agree with somebody with a confirmed seat being pulled off a plane in favor of somebody else with higher "status."
Maybe comparing healthcare and transportation is a bit of "apples and oranges." If I buy a ticket for transportation August 15, and the planes aren't flying, should you, who bought a ticket August 16, and he August 17, and she August 18, all have your schedules disrupted.
No matter what system is used, it's never going to be completely fair for everybody.
I empathize with all of the pax currently affected, but it doesn't seem reasonable to blame AC or any other airline for the delays and inconvenience when something of the magnitude of this power outage occurs.
[This message has been edited by Fredd (edited 08-16-2003).]