chazbag

Update on this. Didn't hear after a couple of weeks so followed up through the complaints webpage. No contact until three days ago (about five weeks after the flight) where 20,000 miles or $500 credit offered. Asked for that amount to be increased because of the extremely long wait time for follow-up and request was denied. Most annoying thing is the customer service person said the amount was factoring in the delay in replying; clearly not true given that the compensation seems to be the standard for a TATL (flight was YYZ -> LHR).

yyznomad

C-FIVS

eigenvector

Does anyone else think it's a bit rude to offer compensation only in the form of Air Canada pseudo currency (whether eCoupon or Aeroplan miles) when failing to provide the original service - a working seat - that the passenger paid real currency for? It's fine by me to offer AC coupons for those who want them - e.g. $500 cash or $600 eCoupon, your choice - but you shouldn't have to patronize Air Canada again to get compensated for not receiving what you originally paid for.

phdtraveller

Yes it is, but AC can get away w/ it because theyre still filling the J seats and making $$$. I've decided to vote w/ my wallet and avoid AC because of this, this is the only reason to make AC change.

Transpacificflyer

Well said.

If we look at the thread, and review other blogs, we see that;
1. The problem dates back at least 2 years if not more. (There were also other issues that occurred at the same time like the cracked veneers on tray tables.)
2. We have been documenting the issue on FT for almost a year.
3. When the defect manifests itself, the Airline takes weeks if not months to respond to the customer complaint, providing a "tied" compensation offer, instead of compensation reflective of the actual purchase cost. The result being that the injured party is forced to transact with Air Canada again in order to receive compensation.

Based on the aforementioned, the defect has been publicly demonstrated/illustrated for over a year and Air Canada has been receiving complaints for over a year. The complaints are numerous.

I have not seen any public statement from Air Canada on the issue, nor has Air Canada provided a warning at the time of airfare purchase that its seats are subject to a known, existing defect. I do not believe that Air Canada has released information at its annual meetings that details the cost of remediation (i.e. repair/replacement of the seats), the extent/nature of the problem, the number of reported events and the cost of the short term compensation.)

There can be no doubt that Air Canada is aware of the defect. When a person or a company is aware of a chronic, persistent defect likely to cause damage, I believe that there is an obligation to warn of the defect. The failure to do so, IMO is an indication of bad faith dealing. I also believe that it is bad faith to force the injured party to accept compensation that is tied to future purchase of an Air Canada product.

It was previously asked if this type of conduct would be class action material. I believe that it would. Air Canada has a moral obligation to warn its customers that its seats are defective. Whether or not there is a legal obligation, will be up to the court to decide.


You are not alone. After 8 weeks+ of waiting for a response from Air Canada on my seat defect issue, I said screw it and transacted with EVA. At least their seats work and I am not wedged under a poorly designed tray/seat configuration. I also have a little shrine erected at home to West Jet and I say a prayer before the alter of a hockey puck and stubby beer bottle that West Jet enters the TPAC market.

Bohemian1

Speaking of wallets, I could have flown AC to Tokyo last week but took NH instead.

While I like their meals more and landing at HND is generally convenient, the ANA J hard product is not as good as AC IMHO. Except I don't have to worry about deflated seats.

A dead heat on fare price made this a very easy call.

canadiancow

That sounds like you would favor AC but for deflategate.

In that case, as a SE in paid J, are you really concerned?

I don't think I've ever had a seat deflate mid-flight that was not deflated at time of boarding.

Mr. Bovine recently found one of these, and I told him he should try to get it rectified before the door closes (all seats were full, but there were gate upgrades), but he allowed for the reset. Which subsequently failed, as expected.

Had he pushed, I'm quite confident the last upgrade would have been told "you can have a defective seat, or you can move back to your original seat and get a refund of the credits". And Mr. Bovine would have had a working seat.

It's a little more challenging when you're traveling with someone, but on my own, I have no issues forcing them to move me. But that really only works when you're paid J and there were gate upgrades.

Bohemian1

Yeah, I am concerned.

I've had the deflated seat with no option to move because of full J. Full PY even. So yeah, as someone who does mostly TPAC and TATL for business, I do get a little stressed. I may fly on OPM, but it's my butt and I'm the one who gets paid to be functional when I arrive.

So if it comes down to a decent *A J versus deflatable AC 777/78 Signature Service, I'll continue to seriously consider the other guys. At least until I stop seeing news posts on this thread.

lallied

I always test as soon as I board. At least 75% of time deflated thereafter. My biggest issue is having to de-seat someone 2hrs into an overnight when they are asleep. But if you don’t make a fuss you neither sleep nor get compensation. Because without a white slip customer service refuses compensation - presumably you are making it up.

capedreamer

Be that as it may, it's ridiculous that "will I be able to make enough of a fuss to get them to move me into a functioning J seat (and in the process potentially having someone else offloaded)?" even has to enter one's mental calculus. Just unnecessary stress.

100% with @Bohemian1 on this one.

ridefar

That is not true. It may be mostly true, but I have received compensation when I didn't have a white/green sheet.

I don't recommend trying it (why not just fill out the sheet) and I don't recommend it is as strategy, but you can get compensation even without. Maybe I am just lucky.

lallied

Sequence is sorry, no compensation, then argue, get $250. Unless have white sheet. When get $500. Not all crews offer automatically and have had to ask a few times esp on short overnight TATLs when crew busy. And gave up once as landing . It’s all too much hassle when one has paid 7K for a deflated TATL seat and no sleep

canadiancow

The two times I had an issue, I was not offered a form, I did not ask for a form, but I had no trouble getting compensation.

However, that was before this thread existed, so it was less publicized, so also less likely someone would try to abuse it.

yyznomad

Have any non-SEs here complained without a form filled out and received compensation?

ridefar

I am sure as awareness goes up, so does AC's attempt to mitigate abuse. You may be right, thinking back, my claims without form were quite a while ago. Lately with form my claims have been dealt with very quickly, but I definitely got the impression they were checking service logs and Fin #s and such before awarding compensation. Bah. I have always felt I got something fair. But I have never been absolutely completely without options on paid J/C/P/Z/D on a TATL or TPAC fare. I have to say that if I was, the $500 that seems to be AC's latest standard would be woefully inadequate. (Though, to be fair, I am often paying $6k++ for a return TATL fare. And what has been missing in the discussion of compensation is the amount of the original fare; not just fare class but actual amount. I can get a TATL fare for $4k or $12k and I wouldn't expect compensation to be equal for both.)