Aeroplan reward -- Air China/Air Canada from China to St. John's, leg canceled
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 11
Aeroplan reward -- Air China/Air Canada from China to St. John's, leg canceled
Hey,
Booked this flight back in January through Aeroplan. Initial leg of a flight from INC (Yinchuan) to YYT was canceled today... with no notice, until arriving at the airport.
Tried initially speaking with the check in desk (but they're not from Air China, sort of a mixed check in desk).. smaller airport. Suggested to call Air China.
Air China, unhelpful, said call Air Canada. Air Canada, unhelpful, said call Air China. Called Aeroplan, said they can't do anything, only the travel agent, call Air China.
Called Air China x 3 now. Who is suppose to reroute me back to Canada? Who should I ask to speak to? What specific things should I say?
This is ridiculous...
Booked this flight back in January through Aeroplan. Initial leg of a flight from INC (Yinchuan) to YYT was canceled today... with no notice, until arriving at the airport.
Tried initially speaking with the check in desk (but they're not from Air China, sort of a mixed check in desk).. smaller airport. Suggested to call Air China.
Air China, unhelpful, said call Air Canada. Air Canada, unhelpful, said call Air China. Called Aeroplan, said they can't do anything, only the travel agent, call Air China.
Called Air China x 3 now. Who is suppose to reroute me back to Canada? Who should I ask to speak to? What specific things should I say?
This is ridiculous...
Last edited by HBP; Jul 11, 2019 at 11:13 pm
#3
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: Star Alliance G*, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium,
Posts: 3,584
AP query
AC032 is airborne - so you won't be traveling today! The good news? It also operates tomorrow (July 12)
While I agree its important to contact, Air China. you need to notify AP to re-book.
Also, your cnx. to YYT is terrible. Ask them to put you on AC 692 instead (non Rouge, arrives 2 h earlier).
While I agree its important to contact, Air China. you need to notify AP to re-book.
Also, your cnx. to YYT is terrible. Ask them to put you on AC 692 instead (non Rouge, arrives 2 h earlier).
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 11
AC032 is airborne - so you won't be traveling today! The good news? It also operates tomorrow (July 12)
While I agree its important to contact, Air China. you need to notify AP to re-book.
Also, your cnx. to YYT is terrible. Ask them to put you on AC 692 instead (non Rouge, arrives 2 h earlier).
While I agree its important to contact, Air China. you need to notify AP to re-book.
Also, your cnx. to YYT is terrible. Ask them to put you on AC 692 instead (non Rouge, arrives 2 h earlier).
The 692 does not fit with the itinerary.
#5
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: YOW
Programs: AC E75 / Marriott Titanium Elite
Posts: 952
I feel your pain, I arrived in SYR about 18 months ago for a flight to EWR and onwards to TPA and UA canceled as I pulled into the airport. UA refused to help and AE also said they couldn't help. Ultimately it was UA's responsibility, but IMO if ticketed by AE, they should be the ones to go to bat to fix the inter-jurisdictional bun fight for you. It took me quite an effort to work my situation out, including a drive from SYR to EWR to catch the next flight! Good luck.
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 11
I feel your pain, I arrived in SYR about 18 months ago for a flight to EWR and onwards to TPA and UA canceled as I pulled into the airport. UA refused to help and AE also said they couldn't help. Ultimately it was UA's responsibility, but IMO if ticketed by AE, they should be the ones to go to bat to fix the inter-jurisdictional bun fight for you. It took me quite an effort to work my situation out, including a drive from SYR to EWR to catch the next flight! Good luck.
Air China takes no responsibility for canceling the first flight, even though they are Star Alliance and all these flights are on the same ticket!
Anyway, so they were able to rebook the same itinerary for Saturday (today) after multiple calls to Air China, multiple calls to Air Canada, and multiple from Air China to Air Canada.
And LO AND BEHOLD, the Air China flight was canceled again. No notice, but I was tracking it this time hourly and discovered 14 hours before the flight was supposed to take off. Air China is useless again, I swear it takes 5-6 times to get a useful representative.
I just booked my own one way ticket out of pocket to Beijing, leaving at 8am from China Southern Air. Hopefully I can still board my international flight in Beijing (I was able to check in).
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 11
#10
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
Most airlines treat award tickets no different from revenue during IRROPs, but Air China is not one of them. Sorry to hear your experience and hope AC at least protects the rest of your itinerary from Beijing.
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,738
OP
Were you able to board the AC flight from PEK?
There are so many horror stories about Air China also from the Chinese FF sites that personally I would avoid Air China completely.
In fact after our extremely poor experience with Air China F IAH-PEK on UA award several years ago, we swore off never take Air China again. We were the only 2 passengers in the F cabin and they did not load our meals - the FA told me she would not give me the menu to read as none was available. They scrambled to find us some foods from J and Y - that were barely edible, chewy meats with unidentifiable sauce things like that... But these were the ONLY foods they claimed they could find spare... No wonder the award spaces were wide open during the last hours of UA devaluation ... There are good reasons for that!
Were you able to board the AC flight from PEK?
There are so many horror stories about Air China also from the Chinese FF sites that personally I would avoid Air China completely.
In fact after our extremely poor experience with Air China F IAH-PEK on UA award several years ago, we swore off never take Air China again. We were the only 2 passengers in the F cabin and they did not load our meals - the FA told me she would not give me the menu to read as none was available. They scrambled to find us some foods from J and Y - that were barely edible, chewy meats with unidentifiable sauce things like that... But these were the ONLY foods they claimed they could find spare... No wonder the award spaces were wide open during the last hours of UA devaluation ... There are good reasons for that!
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 11
OP
Were you able to board the AC flight from PEK?
There are so many horror stories about Air China also from the Chinese FF sites that personally I would avoid Air China completely.
In fact after our extremely poor experience with Air China F IAH-PEK on UA award several years ago, we swore off never take Air China again. We were the only 2 passengers in the F cabin and they did not load our meals - the FA told me she would not give me the menu to read as none was available. They scrambled to find us some foods from J and Y - that were barely edible, chewy meats with unidentifiable sauce things like that... But these were the ONLY foods they claimed they could find spare... No wonder the award spaces were wide open during the last hours of UA devaluation ... There are good reasons for that!
Were you able to board the AC flight from PEK?
There are so many horror stories about Air China also from the Chinese FF sites that personally I would avoid Air China completely.
In fact after our extremely poor experience with Air China F IAH-PEK on UA award several years ago, we swore off never take Air China again. We were the only 2 passengers in the F cabin and they did not load our meals - the FA told me she would not give me the menu to read as none was available. They scrambled to find us some foods from J and Y - that were barely edible, chewy meats with unidentifiable sauce things like that... But these were the ONLY foods they claimed they could find spare... No wonder the award spaces were wide open during the last hours of UA devaluation ... There are good reasons for that!
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 11
Now that this ordeal is behind me... I still don't know who was actually responsible for helping me.
Certainly it makes sense that Air China is responsible for rebooking me once they cancel the first leg of my flight...
But a few of you are saying that Aeroplan should have taken the lead?
I'm hoping to provide some feedback/complaints to both, but I'd like to know who should have helped me more than they did.
Certainly it makes sense that Air China is responsible for rebooking me once they cancel the first leg of my flight...
But a few of you are saying that Aeroplan should have taken the lead?
I'm hoping to provide some feedback/complaints to both, but I'd like to know who should have helped me more than they did.
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YYC
Posts: 23,786
Now that this ordeal is behind me... I still don't know who was actually responsible for helping me.
Certainly it makes sense that Air China is responsible for rebooking me once they cancel the first leg of my flight...
But a few of you are saying that Aeroplan should have taken the lead?
I'm hoping to provide some feedback/complaints to both, but I'd like to know who should have helped me more than they did.
Certainly it makes sense that Air China is responsible for rebooking me once they cancel the first leg of my flight...
But a few of you are saying that Aeroplan should have taken the lead?
I'm hoping to provide some feedback/complaints to both, but I'd like to know who should have helped me more than they did.
Should have been Air China. However now time to complain with Aeroplan and get them to pay for whatever expenses you incurred. And possibly forward the charge to Air China. Hopefully you retained solid documentation of what happened?
#15
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,294
Day of departure, it's definitely the operating airline's responsibility.
However, I have found that Aeroplan will always waive change fees in these situations, though they will not buy space on another airline. But if there's O/I/X showing on another route, they should be more than willing to move you.
However, I have found that Aeroplan will always waive change fees in these situations, though they will not buy space on another airline. But if there's O/I/X showing on another route, they should be more than willing to move you.