Aeroplan's Error Code that prevents booking free flights
 

So I've been trying to book a flight on points for the best part of 5 days. I have tried work computers (plural), an ipad, my home PC, my girlfriends MAC. Everytime I get the error

SOAP FAULT ERROR. CODE: fc:JWSError, REASON:com.bea.xml.marshal.XmlEncodingException: Null value encountered where XML schema requires a value: null

The 800 booking customer service want a 30 dollar fee. The support group have told me its a time out error (6 times), wrong version of Windows (once) and booking a partner airline (once).

Its BS. They don't know. I called my friend who works for AC. He said that Aeroplan doesn't know, its driving the people on the phones crazy. The best they can figure is there is a box not on the webpage that the code is looking for to be checked or filled in, but is not on the webpage. The SOAP code is not pulling up the answer. This is causing a big headache. The management is not allowing free booking for people with this error.


Anyone else experience this error

You gotta admit, it's one heck of a cool business model for new revenue!

Wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was some trick they "can't solve".

I've had another case where Providence to Vancouver was 25000 points and $98 dollars in fees, using all Continental flights. The exact same flight on Continental using OnePass FF and it was 25000 points and $52 dollars in fees.

This airline will shaft you at any juncture.

The soap fault error code seems to have got you in quite the lather. ;)

Sorry I could not help myself.

Ha,

Ya, I'm another guy who Air Canada CLEANED OUT.

This appears to be a pretty standard Java error message.

The OP hit a bug in their web application.

Maybe he should pay the $30 fee and proceed by sending them an invoice. :D

I thought so too. Thats why I kept switching. Here is the thing, I have tried on Macs, on an IPad, on numerous Windows based computers at work. They can't all have the exact same web browser error.

Besides my friend told me it was a known issue.


And as for sending an invoice, its a simple mathematical risk/reward issue. Sending invoice to Air Canada is another way of wasting money on a stamp. I will not get $30 bucks, I will not get $30 credit, I highly doubt the I will even receive a response. It would be cheaper, faster and more satisfying to simply go shout at the moon in my front yard, (the result would be the same too.....................nothing)

Air Canada's customer service is founded on the principal of "we don't even know that we don't know".

Error is in their code.

It's a server-side issue. You can switch from Mac to PC, Firefox to Internet Explorer, English to French, Bell to Rogers all you like, but it's not going to make one bit of a difference. There's a bug in their web site they need to fix.

I'm not holding my breath for AC to fix anything.

AC won't fix anything.

Aeroplan should...

True, because it's Aeroplan's fault and Aeroplan's charges, not Air Canada's.

How much is your time valued to save 30$ in 5 days of attempt? Think about that :confused:

To be fair, it wasn't a waste of time to test with different browsers, as they can sometimes handle form submissions differently. Especially if the forms were in part generated using AJAX and some various javascript commands (i.e. browser might submit the final form before AJAX call finished populating it. I've seen it happen elsewhere.).

Which simply adds to the level of frustration. If the first guy on the phone would have told me "look, its hopeless, just spend $30 bucks and call the 800 number" I wouldn't have kept trying using different computers etc.

The computer assistance line should be renamed "phone number of false hope"