jjlm

Son was originally booked direct from YLW to YYZ yesterday (Feb 23). AC changed the booking a few days before and rerouted him with a connection in YVR. YLW flight (8415) was delayed and arrived at YVR 80 minutes late. This resulted him missing his connection (which AC had chosen when it rebooked his flight). Rather than catching AC120 to Toronto at 15:10, AC rebooked on the painful red eye at 1;30am (even thought there were earlier flights) so he arrived at YYZ more than 12 hours later than scheduled. YLW delay caused by "late arrival of inbound aircraft." That aircraft was delayed leaving YVR to YLW because of "additional flight preparation time" which seems intentionally cryptic and a good way for AC to avoid paying comp. I have submitted claim, but I am expecting it to be rejected. Has anyone file a claim for this type of delay?

canadiancow

All the YVR-YYZ flights yesterday was packed. 120 was upgauged from a 788 to a 789, and still went out pretty much full.

As for the original delay, it's really going to depend on what needed extra time. Good luck.

bocastephen

I filed my claim using the webform - not sure how long it takes them to send the denial letter, or money if approved.

Do you live in SF? If so, and you are denied, and denied again on your appeal, just take AC to small claims court in your local county - chances are their attorney won't show up, you'll get a default judgement and just need to pay a small fee to have the Sheriff accompany you to the AC counter at SFO with your judgement which they will be required to pay in cash on the spot - or you can seize their equipment to satisfy the judgement (yes, even an aircraft).

If they do show up for the case, the judge is more likely to interpret the rules in your favor vs the airline's favor, and since the flight departed SFO, the Bay Area court will have jurisdiction to hear the case.

Rundosrun

Interesting idea but alas I do not live in SF!

YYZ_tatlflyer

This may not be a popular opinion but s**t happens. It’s not like AC is out to screw your guys on your itinerary. Their job is to ensure we get to our destination safely and quickly. I can understand the distrust in corporations but reality is the people are doing their best to do their job. No one is out to screw you over and the assumption that you can get compensated because you suffer a legitimate delay for a few hours completely disgusts me. Airplane and weather are complex. If you are trying to nickel and dime the airline then drive or take a boat. If AC makes a mistake they go out of their way to help. But the majority of complaints I see are newbs with little flying experience and completely unrealistic expectations.

bocastephen

Very few people here are "newbies" with "unrealistic expectations", and no, Air Canada is not doing their best, their failures are hard to even compute, their on-time record is among the worst in the world, and their service recovery procedures for everyone, except perhaps their top elite customers, is nothing short of disastrous. So, yes, if we detect a mistake that is, or should have been anticipated as under Air Canada's knowledge or control, then we will hold their feet to the fire to receive the compensation for which we are entitled - consider it "on the job training" for Air Canada, and motivation, one $1,000 check at a time, to strive to be better.

Pegasus771

Success Story.

AC7750 YHZ to YYG on 12 Feb was delayed for just over four hours due to "aircraft availability". I sent in the web-based claim request later that same day, but thought it would be a long shot. Surprisingly, email arrived a few minutes ago, expressing regrets for the delay and advising that a cheque for $400 would be forthcoming.

canadiancow

If I want to change my flight to depart 10 hours later, I have to pay a change fee (which can be hundreds of dollars) and fare difference (which can be even more).

But AC can change my flight to depart 10 hours later at their discretion?

Doesn't seem reasonable.

We're not talking about fog at SFO that causes a hold at origin. We're talking about AC not having a functioning aircraft at the origin airport.

jjlm

I think most on here would agree with you to some extent. Stuff does happen, especially in climates like ours. I don't begrudge a late departure or a missed connection if there are weather delays, medical emergencies or a plethora of other good reasons why an airline can't meet the schedule it committed to. I don't expect compensation in those circumstances. But when the delay is within the control of the airline (staff shortages, undersold flights merged into another, oversold flight), then the airline should compensate the passenger for the inconvenience. A bit too bad that regulations (weak as they may be) were required to push airlines in the right direction, but better transparency and honest communication with customers are just good business practices.

Rundosrun

I flew AC over 170 times last year, and I was compensated with something other than a discount code exactly once, with an e-gift card. I don't distrust corporations, I work for one and am invested in many others. In my case, AC chooses to fly a 30 year old B767 with lots of recurring issues - and when one such issue costs me 12+ hours of delays, gets me little sleep., and leaves me short the few hours I had planned in one city before more work travel takes me to the next, I will voice my dissatisfaction to the airline.

I worked in Atlantic Canada for many years during winters; I understand weather issues and am pretty patient (plus buffer my bookings to account for weather) - this is not that.

canadiancow

The only time I've received a discount code in the past year was when my wifi didn't work.

Every other issue resulted in an eCoupon from 50 to 1000.

I'd prefer the discount codes almost every time.

Hoogaar

A couple of weeks ago, my flight from LGA was delayed causing me to miss my connection, which caused me to get home 5 hours late. They gave me some meal vouchers in LGA and on arrival at YUL. On the vouchers for reason it stated: "Delay Controllable"

I submitted a claim on AC.com. The reply I got was this: "We are in receipt of your claim under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. We are sorry for the delay you experienced at arrival to your final destination.In this instance, the compensation you are requesting does not apply because the delay was caused by a safety-related issue.
Air Canada airplanes are maintained in accordance with the required maintenance program but not all malfunctions, such as this one, can be foreseen or prevented through regular maintenance. The technical fault for your flight was unexpected and all reasonable measures were taken to avoid the flight disruption.

In accordance with the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, compensation does not apply under these circumstances. Unexpected airplane malfunctions may compromise safety and flight disruptions caused by unexpected aircraft malfunctions would be within a carrier’s control, but required for safety.

As a goodwill gesture, I am pleased to provide you with an Air Canada eCoupon of  $200.00  . Please find details of this offer below."

Does this seem right? I don't want to spend an inordinate amount of time chasing for a few bucks, but shouldn't this qualify for the $400 compensation? If not, can they now just claim "safety" for anything? Any checks and balances in place?

acysb87

A 200.00 e-coupon is better than most, IMO.

robsaw

So, clearly all technical faults are safety-related and beyond the airline's control. Given the massive complaints to the CTA so far, the legislation and regulations are woefully ambiguous - which is what the airlines' wanted. May come back to bite them by giving interpretative power to the CTA.

canolakid

I hope you take a few moments to file a complaint with CTA: The Agency needs to know first hand how the Airlines are implementing... And what phrasing may need to be looked at in the future.