Adam Smith

Dear Air Canada,

I'm generally satisfied with the level of benefits that come with my Super Elite status. But one area that dramatically needs improvement, and has gotten worse over the course of 2016, is the SE priority line.

There are two key issues that need to be addressed. The first is a redesign of the phone tree. The second is having a proper SE desk with well-trained staff.

The phone menus are particularly frustrating. Less than a year ago, I could very easily phone in, hit 1 for English, hit 1 for AC Reservations and be in the queue to speak to an agent within a few seconds.

Now I have to wait for 10 seconds while it asks me to press 1 for English or 2 for French. Why you've eliminated the option to press 1 or 2 while that message is playing is beyond me.

You seem to also regularly be playing lengthy messages about weather delays in Eastern Canada or whatever and encouraging use of the online re-booking tools, which cannot be skipped either.

I understand wanting to play this message on the general AC reservations line. But I'm Super Elite. I fly a lot. I know about the online tools. If I could use the online re-booking tool, or seat selection tool, or whatever, I would. If I'm calling in, it's because I can't do it online. Either that or I'm a curmudgeonly old man who's terrible with computers, like my colleague, and no amount of badgering will get me to use the online tools.

So let me skip those messages by pressing the relevant number, if I already know what I want to do. The Aeroplan sub-menu has also gotten ridiculous, but I'm sure you're going to tell me that as soon as I hit 3 for Aeroplan, it becomes their responsibility and you have no control over it, so I won't even bother with that here (that disgraceful buck-passing is subject matter for a different thread altogether).

The second item that needs to be addressed is the skill and experience of the agents answering the calls. It's laughable at times to have the phone answered "Super Elite desk" and then speak to an agent who has no idea what they're doing. I understand that in the good old days (which weren't that long ago), there were actually more experienced and knowledgeable agents (the latter being the key) answering calls to the SE line - a true SE desk. Bringing that back would result in a big improvement in customer service, as far as I'm concerned.

What gets particularly frustrating is when I phone in, sit through all the nonsense before I get into the queue to speak to an agent (i.e. problem #1 above), then have to phone back and sit through it all again after dealing with an agent who doesn't know what they're doing (problem #2), especially if it's a simple request.

The issue of the phone menus should be a quick and cheap fix, so I hope that gets taken care of quickly. As for the more qualified agents dealing with our calls, I don't know, but I hope you take into consideration the increased customer satisfaction, as well as the fact that those agents will undoubtedly process our calls faster - and therefore more cheaply for you.

Thank you for your consideration.