CBC: Girl, 15, stranded alone overnight at YYC after AC delay & WS ticket error
Mar 27, 2019, 11:32 am
#1
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CBC: Girl, 15, stranded alone overnight at YYC after AC delay & WS ticket error
I have not seen this in the AC or WS forums yet. Mods please move as needed.
CBC: Girl, 15, stranded alone overnight at Calgary airport after Air Canada delay, WestJet ticket error
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...teen-1.5072371
CBC: Girl, 15, stranded alone overnight at Calgary airport after Air Canada delay, WestJet ticket error
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...teen-1.5072371
Originally Posted by cbc.ca
Girl, 15, stranded alone overnight at Calgary airport after Air Canada delay, WestJet ticket error
Betsy Trumpener · CBC News · Posted: Mar 27, 2019 4:00 AM PT
A B.C. family wants answers after their 15-year-old daughter was stranded alone overnight in the Calgary International Airport.
Emma Fenton was flying solo from Kelowna to visit family in Fort St. John on March 23.
But she got stuck late at night in the Calgary airport after an Air Canada flight delay, a route change and the issuance of an incomplete WestJet ticket.
Stepmother Christy Fenton had been awaiting Emma's flight in Fort St. John.
"I felt very helpless, knowing she was there by herself at the airport [in Calgary]."
Emma spent the night on the airport floor as her parents attempted to reach Air Canada and WestJet.
"I was just so tired and so ready to go home," said the teen...
Betsy Trumpener · CBC News · Posted: Mar 27, 2019 4:00 AM PT
A B.C. family wants answers after their 15-year-old daughter was stranded alone overnight in the Calgary International Airport.
Emma Fenton was flying solo from Kelowna to visit family in Fort St. John on March 23.
But she got stuck late at night in the Calgary airport after an Air Canada flight delay, a route change and the issuance of an incomplete WestJet ticket.
Stepmother Christy Fenton had been awaiting Emma's flight in Fort St. John.
"I felt very helpless, knowing she was there by herself at the airport [in Calgary]."
Emma spent the night on the airport floor as her parents attempted to reach Air Canada and WestJet.
"I was just so tired and so ready to go home," said the teen...
Mar 27, 2019, 11:51 am
#3
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Not sure why this is difficult for you to understand.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:09 pm
#4
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So no staff to handle issues and left to sleep in the airport is how an adult would be treated ? Kid or adult both airlines dropped the ball. I would suspect that AC did not transfer control of the ticket correctly to Westjet and they could not complete the process. I had the same thing happen to me when AC supposedly transferred the ticket to Alaska.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:14 pm
#5
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So you are blaming Westjet? I would say WS provided bad customer service, but I also think RangerNS comments are fair and true. It's funny how some parents think it is unsafe to let their kids go shopping by themselves, but have no problems sending them on a aircraft alone and think it is the airline responsibility to baby sit them.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:18 pm
#6
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So you are blaming Westjet? I would say WS provided bad customer service, but I also think RangerNS comments are fair and true. It's funny how some parents think it is unsafe to let their kids go shopping by themselves, but have no problems sending them on a aircraft alone and think it is the airline responsibility to baby sit them.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:32 pm
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The fact that WS staff could not issue a BP and sent the girl to ticketing leads me to believe that there was something wrong with the ticket transfer from AC. Otherwise they would have issued the BP.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:37 pm
#8
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The fact that the passenger is 15 years old is almost wholly irrelevant here, other than to raise the profile of the CBC article.
At least one and possibly two airlines screwed up, resulting in a passenger getting stranded. Period. Not having UM service is not the source of the problem.
At least one and possibly two airlines screwed up, resulting in a passenger getting stranded. Period. Not having UM service is not the source of the problem.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:39 pm
#9
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Probably true. But they should have known the ticket counter was unstaffed and picked up a phone and straightened it out (or attempted to). They didn't do that.
Mar 27, 2019, 12:47 pm
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It has everything to do with being a UM. There are customer service screwups all the time, requiring customers to push back.
Granting there are scores of stories of "adults" not being able to airport well, if parents/guardians are sending out their child unaccompanied, then they are declaring to the world that they can function at an adult level of customer. There is a way to literally have their hands held in airports. The parents decided that was not necessary.
Yes, WS and/or AC screwed up. As they do. As an adult would be able to deal with without turning to the media.
Granting there are scores of stories of "adults" not being able to airport well, if parents/guardians are sending out their child unaccompanied, then they are declaring to the world that they can function at an adult level of customer. There is a way to literally have their hands held in airports. The parents decided that was not necessary.
Yes, WS and/or AC screwed up. As they do. As an adult would be able to deal with without turning to the media.
Mar 27, 2019, 1:41 pm
#13
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So it sucks that one or both airlines screwed this up. Seems like they tried to help out but botched the execution.
The damage seems to have been the 24 sleepless hours.
I know the first thing I do when it looks like I'll be at an airport or in a city for an extended period that includes an overnight stay. And these days with everyone having a handheld internet connection it's even easier. It's called "find a hotel room."
YYC itself even has one! One of the easier airports to be stranded in.
The young lady travels quite a bit on her own according to the article. If any of the parents have a credit card they should ask for a card to be issued to her to use on travels should something come up.
The damage seems to have been the 24 sleepless hours.
I know the first thing I do when it looks like I'll be at an airport or in a city for an extended period that includes an overnight stay. And these days with everyone having a handheld internet connection it's even easier. It's called "find a hotel room."
YYC itself even has one! One of the easier airports to be stranded in.
The young lady travels quite a bit on her own according to the article. If any of the parents have a credit card they should ask for a card to be issued to her to use on travels should something come up.
Mar 27, 2019, 1:50 pm
#14
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So it sucks that one or both airlines screwed this up. Seems like they tried to help out but botched the execution.
The damage seems to have been the 24 sleepless hours.
I know the first thing I do when it looks like I'll be at an airport or in a city for an extended period that includes an overnight stay. And these days with everyone having a handheld internet connection it's even easier. It's called "find a hotel room."
YYC itself even has one! One of the easier airports to be stranded in.
The young lady travels quite a bit on her own according to the article. If any of the parents have a credit card they should ask for a card to be issued to her to use on travels should something come up.
The damage seems to have been the 24 sleepless hours.
I know the first thing I do when it looks like I'll be at an airport or in a city for an extended period that includes an overnight stay. And these days with everyone having a handheld internet connection it's even easier. It's called "find a hotel room."
YYC itself even has one! One of the easier airports to be stranded in.
The young lady travels quite a bit on her own according to the article. If any of the parents have a credit card they should ask for a card to be issued to her to use on travels should something come up.
But, I'm not sure most hotels will accept a reservation from an unaccompanied 15 year old. Even on a walkup. Too many possible liabilities.
Mar 27, 2019, 2:00 pm
#15
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The only way "age" becomes relevant here is if you shift the blame to the parents. The airlines were told (by the fact the ticket was booked) that she was capable of traveling as an adult.
Air Canada said Emma should have had adequate time to sort out any problems with her ticket during her Calgary layover, and "can't explain" WestJet's actions or their direction to leave the secure area.
