islandcub1

I flew out of Charlottetown at the start of March break, and I can vouch that on that occasion at least, the Air Canada staff went to great lengths to get everybody where they were going. They were overbooked by one for the second last flight to Halifax, and asked me a check-in if I would volunteer to be bumped so that a family could fly and make their connection to Red Deer. I declined, as I wasn't willing to sit in a taxi to Halifax, the last flight that day was also full, I had an event to get to, and reroutes via Toronto or Montreal weren't possible because either those flights were full or the connecting flights were full.

They looked at every possible option, and wound up bumping a family that was connecting to a flight to Orlando because they could offer them seats on the direct Westjet flight. The staff went to great lengths to find a resolution that was acceptable to everybody.

The only possible reason I can think of why they tried so hard? Everybody I saw them interact with was polite (but sometimes firm) as to what their own needs were.

YHZ_Flyer

The system asks for a DOB when purchasing the ticket. However I know from experience a ticket cannot be purchased online for a child under 12 traveling alone. So if purchasing this ticket online they would have to lie about the age, but then you run into the problem where the age on the ticket is different from the age on the passport they use at checkin.

Symmetre

Interesting comment relating to oversold flights in today's New York Times. While the story isn't related to this specific incident, it is relevant.

From the Times: Today’s auction system on oversold flights, ironically, is the stepchild of a 1976 Supreme Court case, Nader vs. Allegheny, in which the late and little lamented Allegheny Airlines (known to its long suffering passengers as Agony Airlines) picked the wrong passenger to bump. Ralph Nader sued and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

The high Court, in a 9-0 ruling, held that if a passenger had a confirmed ticket, the airline was committing a fraudulent act by bumping him.

I wonder how those on here who suggest a 10 year-old being bumped was somehow his family's fault respond to this?

canopus27

Um ... because in this case, he wasn't bumped?

This is another instance of passengers worrying about being IDB'd ... not actually being IDB'd.

martyYOW

Not sure if its for PR reasons or because AC was in the wrong, but they have offered an apology, $2500 Voucher and may cover expenses.

http://www.timescolonist.com/air-can...ica-1.15713055

YYT82

After the UA debacle last week, I don't think any airlines in their right mind would want to be perceived as the evil corporation. The biggest problem I have with the recent string of CBC articles is that instead of taking the opportunities to educate the public about airfares and risks of buying lowest fares and not selecting seats early during the OLCI process, they took the path of generating clicks by employing the 'us against them' theme.

canopus27

interesting. If I had to guess, I would bet that a contributing factor was that no airline wants to be within a hundred miles of any stories about IDB right now (even though this wasn't an IDB)

Jumper Jack

Why they tried so hard????
LMAFO

Maybe its because its their duty and responsibility?
Next time I should kiss the AC GA's shoe for granting me the utmost privilege of getting me where I was promised.

Stranger

Apart from not having been bumped, merely getting a GTE BP, because they must have lied about his age?

Symmetre

Spare me the semantics. Ticket was purchased in good faith. The kid did not fly. AC oversold the flight. Spin it whatever way you like, the facts are clear.

Honestly, the only thing more amazing than AC's continued shoddy performance is the way some of you folks steadfastly apologize for them every single time.

canadiancow

Where is your evidence of that?

All we know is that he had GTE.

That is not the same thing as being oversold.

There are so few facts about this case, and your post (along with most others in this thread) are making huge assumptions.

Stranger

Afraid not. Flight was overbooked. We don't know that it was oversold.

The parents decided to take different flights before knowing for sure, just because the kid got a "GTE" seat assignment. Making him a *potential* bumping candidate. But very unlikely one given that the AC agents would be then have figured that he is actually a child.

Plus they must have booked him as an adult and lied about his date of birth. I wonder what would have happened when they checked his passport.

KathrynInCanada

From the article linked to above:

"The agent told us that the plane only had 28 seats, but that 34 tickets had been sold," Doyle said. "She said it was very unlikely that six people wouldn't show up for a flight over March break."

What we don't know for sure is if the flight from Montreal to Costa Rica was an AC flight.

That would explain why no DOB for the child was including in his booking. I'm pretty sure there no need to put our DOB when buying domestic flights. (I'm not flying much these days so can't remember if that is correct or not, but I only recall doing it when buying international flights.)]

It would also explain why they were so concerned about making it to Montreal. They realized they weren't protected on their second leg because it was a separate PNR and company.

Guava

I think your answer may be found here:

Guava

Or they could simply be concerned about missing their vacation entirely since hotels may be pre-paid and non-refundable and the adults may not extend their vacation time.

Such speculation is entirely unnecessary and besides the point.

I am convinced without the much publicized UA PR fiasco, AC would have not done anything about it until the customers decide to serve them papers, not that AC is somehow unique in this respect. British papers recently reported that two Easyjet customers who were already seated on the plane were removed from their seats without compensation even though EU regulation is very strict about what to do in this kind of situation. Easyjet was legally required to notify the two of their rights and the entitled compensation but deliberately ignored the law. These passengers simply opted to cancel their trip entirely. Like AC, now Easyjet is suddenly very apologetic about it. I'll let you draw your own conclusion re: the sudden change of heart.

The bottom line is airlines will engage in highway robbery, legal or otherwise, as long as they can get away with it. No one should ever be naive to assume big companies, especially airlines, will follow the law or even their own written commitments.