Going to the US or coming back? Going, yes I agree, coming into Canada I think that it depends.

Yes but only the misfortune gets reported! :D

+1

I feel sorry for the OP but sh*t happens no matter how hard you try.

And none of us posters ever screw up in life - only Air Canada does ;) ...

Was in line at security at just before 6am (back of line). By 6:25, I was at the second in line of the section before you hit your lane (and the point of no return). That's when she took myself and the guy ahead of me and moved us to another lane (Full screening).
No bags checked (I thought it would be faster :() so easier for AC to give up my spot by 6:50 to standby.
And, by the time you get deep into the screening line, the agent is nowhere to be seen and certainly no one from AC is on the other end to inform gate.

My meeting was at 2pm in downtown Calgary. Catching the 7am should get me to YYC just after 9:10. To poster who says "if meeting was that important, should have flown in night before".....sure. In fact, everyone could always fly in a few days before just in case.

If AC stepped up and worked me onto the 8am flight - fine. Even 10am (which at the gate, they originally said I'd get after telling me I couldn't fly at 7am).

AC punishes passengers financially (through higher pricing) who don't book far enough in advance, want specific seats, require a stopover, etc.
Why isn't it "S**t happens" in those cases?
Why shouldn't AC have to cough up for their mistake in this case?

I've seen that at Heathrow, they don't let people jump the queue. If you came late, too bad.

Doesn't really matter, airlines aren't insurance companies. If you think ticket prices are high now, they would be much more expensive if they did compensate for such things.

To the OP I don't think anyone disputes you deserve some compensation. What flight did you eventually get out on?

Not sure why, but many of the security lines I've seen this year have been some of the worst I've seen in a long, long time. The two recent ones that come to mind are MXP and VCE. Just hit them at the wrong time and you're screwed.

I finally flew out on noon flight - 5 hours later.

going to the US.... unless u have tried holding a third country passport going through YYZ to the US.... u will never experience this additional aggreviation

Jagboi: That's the right way of operating.... Here what I have seen going down to the US and what OP had explained is agents trying to manipulate the line for people to go through security / US Customs..... Why cater to the several "late" arrival people at the cost of others that followed the guidelines and arrived on time?!

Am I supposed to receive an e-mail back from AC confirming they've received and logged my online complaint??

yup....and a reference number for u to check back at the response at a later date

I've been ushered to the front of the US Preclearance line by an agent after my connecting flight arrived late, so there are often times where the traveller is late through no fault of their own.

then its up to the airline to reschedule the planes/tickets or prohibit tight connections during the ticketing process..... some of these CNX times are just ridiclious....assuming there's little traffic or no check-in luggage to retrieve

Really? The minimum connection time here is far longer than in say FRA or MUC.

Still no word from AC....will keep all FT'ers updated