YYC Transborder Connections: Over a decade later and still a mess
(The mods didn't care for me resurrecting an old thread about this issue, although it does speak to how long YYC has allowed the idiocy to continue. Always wanting to be a cooperative flyertalker, I have created this new thread to vent with the original post below.)
Did a TB-dom connection at YYC yesterday for the first time in years... I was shocked to see how disgracefully dysfunctional the process still was. YYZ has really straightened the process out, why can't Calgary?
By far the worst part of the process is once you retrieve your bags from the TB flight, you are forced into a lineup where you really can't get around the pax talking to agents so that you can put your bags on the belt for the onward flight. Dozens of people were standing there needlessly and waiting while a family was busy rescheduling their flight to Grande Prairie or whatever... why not let people put their tagged bags on the belt and move on without forcing them to wait until all the worst case scenarios ahead of them were resolved?
Not surprisingly people started to boil over as the wait time grew and grew and people edged closer to missing their connections. Eventually everyone charged ahead and started dumping their bags on the belt. An AC agent meekly protested, telling everyone to "wait because we're helping others". Wouldn't it be easier to help those others if everyone else whose connection wasn't screwed up got out of the way instead? I can handle going through security a second time, but this needless lineup is just nuts.
The whole setup seemed like it was 2 days old and they were just working out the kinks, but apparently it has been going on for years. It's too bad because in all other facets YYC delivers a pleasant experience... I feel bad for pax in Alberta who have to put up with this garbage regularly. Give me a US connection at ORD or DEN any day over this mess.