Nov 20, 2017, 2:16 pm
Last edit by: Argonaut1000
Click here to go to a picture of the White Compensation Form and its stub
View Deflated Seat History Here (Database for submitted occurrences)
Enter New Deflated Seat Occurrence Here (Submit one if you have experienced deflated seat and it will show up in the database above)
----
From post #49 in this thread, here's one potential way to (re)inflate an AC seat:
A better method is for a crew member to use the reset switch under the seat, on the aisle side.
Compensation offers (green/white sheet completed)
40K AE- Apr 18 (50% back of the J class one way redemption)
2018 Jun - $500 coupon
2018 Sep $1,000 eCoupon or 40K AP (P fare TPAC)
2018 Sep $500 eCoupon (P fare TPAC) (no change on protest- update - 6 months later the $150 was increased to $500 - admitted they had made an error)
Compensation offers (no green/white sheet completed)
100K - May 5 (C$150 eCoupon; was moved to a functioning seat after meal service)
2017 Sept - 8,000 AE miles - reported via complaint web page after realizing it was a faulty seat, not standard discomfort; Asked for return of eUps but they declined.
2017 Nov & 2018 Feb - $500 coupons both times (second time on protest that $500 had been offered the previous time)
2018 Sep. $250 coupon (on a paid J TATL).
2018 Nov - $500 eCoupon (J TATL)
Standard eCoupon compensation offers (no haggling; following a recurring pattern)
~10+ hours: $1000
Long TPAC (TPE-YVR)
~6 to ~10 hours: $500
Short TPAC (NRT-YVR)
TATL
South America: YYZ-GRU
less than ~6 hours: 300
TCON
Have a Service Director (SD) That Is Giving You the Case of the Shrugs? Like the real life version of this ASCII emoji -> Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż ?
No success with the SD and/or crew rectifying your deflated seat and you can't be/aren't accommodated to another J seat? If you asked for a compensation form and the SD says they have no idea what you are talking about, you can use the below picture of the stub portion to help freshen their memory (better than nothing)...
Please note that for the longest time, the "Green Compensation Form" version was used, and there have been recent reports of the "White Compensation Form" replacing the Green version. Reports here have indicated that the two forms are virtually identical except for the colour.
There is now an even newer White Form which explicitly lists "deflated seat" and "deflated seat and fixed", among many other items.
Here is a snapshot of the NEWEST full form (as of August 2019), courtesy of lallied
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31421855-post2093.html
This is only the stub portion, courtesy of lallied
Mattress pads purchased and listed in this thread
View Deflated Seat History Here (Database for submitted occurrences)
Enter New Deflated Seat Occurrence Here (Submit one if you have experienced deflated seat and it will show up in the database above)
----
From post #49 in this thread, here's one potential way to (re)inflate an AC seat:
- Go the home screen "Your Seat". (find this on the seat side panel; not the main video screen)
- Hold the top left hand corner "Air Canada" (with AC logo) for 3 seconds. Updated (Apr 9 18): may need to hold for as long as 45 seconds for key pad to appear
- Dial pad shows up - hit 3-2-1.
- Press "Reset Lumbar Support"
A better method is for a crew member to use the reset switch under the seat, on the aisle side.
Compensation offers (green/white sheet completed)
40K AE- Apr 18 (50% back of the J class one way redemption)
2018 Jun - $500 coupon
2018 Sep $1,000 eCoupon or 40K AP (P fare TPAC)
2018 Sep $500 eCoupon (P fare TPAC) (no change on protest- update - 6 months later the $150 was increased to $500 - admitted they had made an error)
Compensation offers (no green/white sheet completed)
100K - May 5 (C$150 eCoupon; was moved to a functioning seat after meal service)
2017 Sept - 8,000 AE miles - reported via complaint web page after realizing it was a faulty seat, not standard discomfort; Asked for return of eUps but they declined.
2017 Nov & 2018 Feb - $500 coupons both times (second time on protest that $500 had been offered the previous time)
2018 Sep. $250 coupon (on a paid J TATL).
2018 Nov - $500 eCoupon (J TATL)
Standard eCoupon compensation offers (no haggling; following a recurring pattern)
~10+ hours: $1000
Long TPAC (TPE-YVR)
~6 to ~10 hours: $500
Short TPAC (NRT-YVR)
TATL
South America: YYZ-GRU
less than ~6 hours: 300
TCON
Have a Service Director (SD) That Is Giving You the Case of the Shrugs? Like the real life version of this ASCII emoji -> Ż\_(ツ)_/Ż ?
No success with the SD and/or crew rectifying your deflated seat and you can't be/aren't accommodated to another J seat? If you asked for a compensation form and the SD says they have no idea what you are talking about, you can use the below picture of the stub portion to help freshen their memory (better than nothing)...
Please note that for the longest time, the "Green Compensation Form" version was used, and there have been recent reports of the "White Compensation Form" replacing the Green version. Reports here have indicated that the two forms are virtually identical except for the colour.
There is now an even newer White Form which explicitly lists "deflated seat" and "deflated seat and fixed", among many other items.
Here is a snapshot of the NEWEST full form (as of August 2019), courtesy of lallied
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31421855-post2093.html
This is only the stub portion, courtesy of lallied
Mattress pads purchased and listed in this thread
Deflategate; new executive pods deflating in-flight
Feb 7, 2019, 10:03 pm
#901
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
Feb 7, 2019, 10:08 pm
#902
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Feb 7, 2019, 10:20 pm
#903
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,314
I flew 806/1K, and my sentiment was "something feels off about this seat". I mentioned it to the SD, but nothing was done. MAYBE it was logged. But I didn't really have a "complaint".
The entire reason I finally made this thread was that so many people were starting to have the same issues, but there wasn't enough visibility.
AC very quickly stated (in private, at least) that they were aware of an issue and were working to get it fixed. It seems like it's tied up in regulatory crap right now. I treat it like the wifi. It's currently held up for regulatory reasons, so the delay is not AC's fault, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to book other airlines.
How AC deals with compensation is their fault though...
Feb 7, 2019, 11:53 pm
#904
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
I want to be fair to AC here.
I flew 806/1K, and my sentiment was "something feels off about this seat". I mentioned it to the SD, but nothing was done. MAYBE it was logged. But I didn't really have a "complaint".
The entire reason I finally made this thread was that so many people were starting to have the same issues, but there wasn't enough visibility.
AC very quickly stated (in private, at least) that they were aware of an issue and were working to get it fixed. It seems like it's tied up in regulatory crap right now. I treat it like the wifi. It's currently held up for regulatory reasons, so the delay is not AC's fault, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to book other airlines.
How AC deals with compensation is their fault though...
I flew 806/1K, and my sentiment was "something feels off about this seat". I mentioned it to the SD, but nothing was done. MAYBE it was logged. But I didn't really have a "complaint".
The entire reason I finally made this thread was that so many people were starting to have the same issues, but there wasn't enough visibility.
AC very quickly stated (in private, at least) that they were aware of an issue and were working to get it fixed. It seems like it's tied up in regulatory crap right now. I treat it like the wifi. It's currently held up for regulatory reasons, so the delay is not AC's fault, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to book other airlines.
How AC deals with compensation is their fault though...
Feb 8, 2019, 4:03 am
#905
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: London
Programs: AC E35K
Posts: 48
Update to this: I’ve now been offered a 25% discount code in total for the two pancake seats. No offer of AP miles. Have pushed back again. Unfortunately the customer service rep is not terribly competent. Have asked for an offer reflecting the two deflated seats with the choice of AP miles / discount code and to speak to a manager. Anyone ever managed a call back from them?
They won’t escalate and customer service on Twitter is standing by the decision.
Safe to say I’ll end up with the 20% and avoid AC like the plague after it’s used.
Anyone else experienced this and pushed back effectively? Am furious and super confused.
Feb 8, 2019, 5:40 am
#906
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Bolding mine
Update to my update. I’ve now been offered either 20% off or 2,000 (not 20,000) non status miles for two pancake seats in a row between lhr and yyz.
They won’t escalate and customer service on Twitter is standing by the decision.
Safe to say I’ll end up with the 20% and avoid AC like the plague after it’s used.
Anyone else experienced this and pushed back effectively? Am furious and super confused.
I think most people won't post if they have been successful or not as they don't want to reveal anything they received or didn't receive. What we see here on FT is a small sample size.
However, those who have cancelled flights on AC, or who have booked other airlines instead, or who have decided to sit the game out until this is properly solved by AC, are likely doing so in silence on FT. If they are not on FT, we only know of those who may have posted to other social media. We don't know about those who have communicated with AC on their own. We also don't know if the numbers are even moving the AC needle in terms of considering this a problem big enough to get the attention of revenue management, and do something other than offer $500 for a ticket in the thousands, especially to those who have spent well over $20,000 per year.
Further, all of these examples of faux-compensation are designed to get those affected to spend more.
I think the words of @canadiancow are correct.
In his OP in November 2017, he wrote:
And in his post yesterday he wrote:
Update to my update. I’ve now been offered either 20% off or 2,000 (not 20,000) non status miles for two pancake seats in a row between lhr and yyz.
They won’t escalate and customer service on Twitter is standing by the decision.
Safe to say I’ll end up with the 20% and avoid AC like the plague after it’s used.
Anyone else experienced this and pushed back effectively? Am furious and super confused.
However, those who have cancelled flights on AC, or who have booked other airlines instead, or who have decided to sit the game out until this is properly solved by AC, are likely doing so in silence on FT. If they are not on FT, we only know of those who may have posted to other social media. We don't know about those who have communicated with AC on their own. We also don't know if the numbers are even moving the AC needle in terms of considering this a problem big enough to get the attention of revenue management, and do something other than offer $500 for a ticket in the thousands, especially to those who have spent well over $20,000 per year.
Further, all of these examples of faux-compensation are designed to get those affected to spend more.
I think the words of @canadiancow are correct.
In his OP in November 2017, he wrote:
The new executive pods are the worst thing to ever happen to Air Canada’s international business class.
I suspect the problem is more widespread than I initially thought, and I’ll explain this in a minute.
.......
So how widespread is it? On two aircraft, I’ve found 4 seats with a problem. And I’ve sat in 5 seats. My anecdotes are not sufficient data to draw conclusions, but the crew did say they’ve been noticing more problems lately, and I suspect that the incidents that are reported are a tiny fraction of the total number of deflated seats.
I’m going to write in again, and maybe get another $500 credit, but holy crap Air Canada. This is literally your pride and joy. And it sucks. Fix it. Even if there were a foam pad below the inflatable cushion, it would ensure that no one is ever sitting on a slab of metal.
I suspect the problem is more widespread than I initially thought, and I’ll explain this in a minute.
.......
So how widespread is it? On two aircraft, I’ve found 4 seats with a problem. And I’ve sat in 5 seats. My anecdotes are not sufficient data to draw conclusions, but the crew did say they’ve been noticing more problems lately, and I suspect that the incidents that are reported are a tiny fraction of the total number of deflated seats.
I’m going to write in again, and maybe get another $500 credit, but holy crap Air Canada. This is literally your pride and joy. And it sucks. Fix it. Even if there were a foam pad below the inflatable cushion, it would ensure that no one is ever sitting on a slab of metal.
And in his post yesterday he wrote:
.......
The entire reason I finally made this thread was that so many people were starting to have the same issues, but there wasn't enough visibility.
AC very quickly stated (in private, at least) that they were aware of an issue and were working to get it fixed. It seems like it's tied up in regulatory crap right now. I treat it like the wifi. It's currently held up for regulatory reasons, so the delay is not AC's fault, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to book other airlines.
How AC deals with compensation is their fault though...
The entire reason I finally made this thread was that so many people were starting to have the same issues, but there wasn't enough visibility.
AC very quickly stated (in private, at least) that they were aware of an issue and were working to get it fixed. It seems like it's tied up in regulatory crap right now. I treat it like the wifi. It's currently held up for regulatory reasons, so the delay is not AC's fault, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to book other airlines.
How AC deals with compensation is their fault though...
Feb 8, 2019, 6:56 am
#907
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: YYZ / LHR
Programs: AC SE100k
Posts: 262
How hard could it be for AC to load some foam pads on every 777/787 flight in case some seats deflate? Sure, not ideal solution, but if the fix for the seat really is going through certification, then it would only be needed for a limited time...
Feb 8, 2019, 6:59 am
#908
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Moncton, NB, Canada
Programs: AC MM+
Posts: 197
I'm having problems with my last claim, I think they are clamping down on compensation. Data point: my average AQM on AC is 273.000AQM/y, based on the last 5 years. The great majority of this is on inflatable(as in - not always inflated) seats. Living in Eastern Canada, my options are limited to reach South America without touching US soil on the way. USA transit is not an ideal situation in regular times and especially not now during the Trump shutdown.
There are 3-4 seats deflated per flight, maybe more that are not being reported. This is on 777s. It is truly getting worse, month by month.
so, to circle back: occurrences are up and it appears that compensation is down. Major problem for frequent flyers who only want a comfortable bed and don't care about the rest.
There are 3-4 seats deflated per flight, maybe more that are not being reported. This is on 777s. It is truly getting worse, month by month.
so, to circle back: occurrences are up and it appears that compensation is down. Major problem for frequent flyers who only want a comfortable bed and don't care about the rest.
Feb 8, 2019, 7:16 am
#909
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: London
Programs: AC E35K
Posts: 48
I think most people won't post if they have been successful or not as they don't want to reveal anything they received or didn't receive. What we see here on FT is a small sample size.
However, those who have cancelled flights on AC, or who have booked other airlines instead, or who have decided to sit the game out until this is properly solved by AC, are likely doing so in silence on FT. If they are not on FT, we only know of those who may have posted to other social media. We don't know about those who have communicated with AC on their own. We also don't know if the numbers are even moving the AC needle in terms of considering this a problem big enough to get the attention of revenue management, and do something other than offer $500 for a ticket in the thousands, especially to those who have spent well over $20,000 per year. :
Feb 8, 2019, 7:22 am
#910
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 3,396
I'm having problems with my last claim, I think they are clamping down on compensation. Data point: my average AQM on AC is 273.000AQM/y, based on the last 5 years. The great majority of this is on inflatable(as in - not always inflated) seats. Living in Eastern Canada, my options are limited to reach South America without touching US soil on the way. USA transit is not an ideal situation in regular times and especially not now during the Trump shutdown.
There are 3-4 seats deflated per flight, maybe more that are not being reported. This is on 777s. It is truly getting worse, month by month.
so, to circle back: occurrences are up and it appears that compensation is down. Major problem for frequent flyers who only want a comfortable bed and don't care about the rest.
There are 3-4 seats deflated per flight, maybe more that are not being reported. This is on 777s. It is truly getting worse, month by month.
so, to circle back: occurrences are up and it appears that compensation is down. Major problem for frequent flyers who only want a comfortable bed and don't care about the rest.
Posts like this make me wonder if it is time to crowdfund a full page add in the Globe and Mail or some such.
Feb 8, 2019, 8:14 am
#911
Join Date: Jan 2001
Programs: AC SEMM
Posts: 724
I have my $30 inflatable pad from Amazon, fits in the palm of my hand when rolled up. If I have to use it, the cabin is going to wonder what is going on :-). I am going to film it, and share with the world. If a whole bunch of us do it, might it go viral?
Have 14 TATL/TPAC flights booked at the moment. Don’t like the idea of being nervous where I should be relaxed. Defeats the purpose.
Feb 8, 2019, 9:25 am
#912
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: *G^2, Bonvoyed, NEXUS
Posts: 3,511
I still have little confidence that their 'fix' will actually work.
Unless, of course, the 'fix' is to replace the seat with one that does not feature an unnecessary inflation feature (keep the pods, just replace the seat)
Unless, of course, the 'fix' is to replace the seat with one that does not feature an unnecessary inflation feature (keep the pods, just replace the seat)
Feb 8, 2019, 9:54 am
#913
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YVR - MILLS Waypoint (It's the third house on the left)
Programs: AC*SE100K, wood level status in various other programs
Posts: 6,222
And, if end up having to use it, I will film it and tweet about it. WIth attribution to AC, of course.
Feb 8, 2019, 9:56 am
#914
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YVR - MILLS Waypoint (It's the third house on the left)
Programs: AC*SE100K, wood level status in various other programs
Posts: 6,222
Assuming that there really is a permanent fix, imagine how long it will take to replace all of them. It could be another four years at this rate.
Last edited by Bohemian1; Feb 8, 2019 at 10:13 am Reason: missing word
Feb 8, 2019, 10:04 am
#915
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: YYZ / LHR
Programs: AC SE100k
Posts: 262
Just wondering, why is it up to AC to solve the deflation issue? These are B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seats, that lots of airlines seem to use (including AA & QR). Is the inflation (or more accurately deflation) technology somehow unique to AC? I've been on the AA version, but it was a few years ago now and I don't remember if the seats inflated or not. With thousands of seats in the air on multiple airlines, one would think that the manufacturer would have solved this issue and had the seats re-certified by now...