Air Canada Customer Service Complaints - page 3

My husband & I travelled from Calgary to Fredericton on May 6, 2014. Calgary to Ottawa flight AC118 (11:20AM) Window Seat 21D (My husband was in the aisle seat) Ottawa to Fredericton: flight AC 8798 (7:10 PM) arrived in Fredericton 9:57PM.Window Seat 5D (My husband was again in the aisle seat. In Ottawa I was met (and left) with a wheelchair accompanied by an Air Canada employee. During one of these two flights, I lost an earring. The earring is silver with black and is a small dangle. I have the matching one for identification if needed. The earring is more of a sentimental value than monetary but I am very anxious to have it returned.The crew in Fredericton did a quick check but I may have given them the wrong seat number.

don't you read comments? nobody can reach your airline over the phone.
are you so bad that you have to hide?more problems are coming soon!

Waited for a long time (10 minutes) to talk to a person. He was there but didn't say a thing after the greeting. Had to hung up and wait for more.

I have been trying to talk to someone today, but not even a recording picks up.

I received an email today, ostensibly from Air Canada, saying my credit card had been charged for a booking I never made.Trying to reach someone at customer service I was cut off after a 45 minute wait I then called the Air Canada Montreal headquarters and was directed for customer service to a useless voice message. I finally reached an agent at Aeroplan who acknowledged the email and booking reference number was a hoax and told me to delete it (which I did). I WANT TO ENTER A VERY STRONG COMPLAINT REGARDING HOW IMPOSSIBLE IT HAS BEEN MADE TO SPEAK TO DIRECTLY TO A HUMAN BEING AT AIR CANADA CUSTOMER SERVICE.

it is almost impossible to reach this airline by phone - the worst !!

AC changed their excellent service between Montreal and Orlando to the new "Rouge" service. It is like going from first class to a school bus comfort. And all of it for the same price! I got a Florida pass I bought under the former regime, always delighted to take this flight. Now I am stuck with crampy seats and bad in-flight service... for the same price! I cannot be refunded as they offer the service: like you bought a nice Hilton suite but we send you to a Super 8 Motel, and no refund since there is a bed.... What a shame! I did put a complaint in, but no response yet, as they are busy because of bad weather I was told.

I used the call back feature for the second time today..Waited 1HR 9min called me back then it disconnected me........now i have to wait 1HR 30-50min
so i have wasted half of my day.
Trying to find out why you guys can overbook a flight and make people wait in another city overnight????????
can't get anyone to talk to...not very happy.
finally got through,....lady was very rude to me...treated me like i was stupid.......not happy with your airline at all..............

I flew from Toronto - Dominican Dec. 20, I have not seen my suitcase since I checked it in TO. 52 days ago and I have not received a call / e-mail or any help from anyone. I post on Facebook but they are rude and delete my messages. They ruined my Christmas and now the start of 2014. Terrible Customer Service.

Last wednesday evening I flew from Santiago, chile to toronto. Keep in mind I am and altitute elite member. There were no priority tags but on my bag in santiago.
Upon landing in toronto my bag did not show up on the carousel. Further investigation by air canada came up with that my bag never left santiago at all. I finally received my bag on Saturday night. I am wondering what kind of compensation air Canada is willing to offer me. I was on flight 093. Name Colgoni. I changed my flight because of a family emergency and did not get compansated
for that.

Angie

We were flying from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto on Feb 2/14, flight 901. The agent that was at check in was more interested in the 3 young ladies that were coming from their location than helping my husband and I. When I was asked for my credit card to pay for our luggage my card was snatched from my hand and when he returned it he tossed it at me. Our bags were thrown on to the conveyer belt and we were dismissed. When it was time for us to board the boarding staff said that we could not bring my husbands wheelchair as it had not been checked with our luggage. At this time I lost my calmness, I told the man at the counter that if the gentleman that had checked us in had taken the time to look he would have seen that he was in a wheelchair. Leaving Toronto airport there were no problems it was only in Fort Lauderdale that we had the issue. One person made the trip home awful and certainly made us wonder why we picked the airline. Customer service needs to be looked at and the agents should be more willing to take the time with everyone and not just those who are young and attractive.

After many years of business travel, within N America and to Europe, my contempt for Air Canada, its inefficiency, dishonesty and insufferably smug superannuated employees, have grown exponentially Now I'm retired and travel less, and try never to travel Air Canada when possible But on Jan 18 my wife and son and I flew with them to Sarasota Again, had any other airline - apart from an American airline - flown the route we wanted, we'd have picked them But AC seems to have the monopoly (another subject for another day) of flights to Fla The trip down was OK, although we've never encountered such

uncomfortable seats as that flight But the trip back, on Feb 1, was a day out of hell We arrived at Sarasota early, expecting to catch the flight at 6pm-ish back to Toronto When asked if the flight was on time, the attendants answered 'no, it'll be leaving Toronto an hour later than scheduled.' But as time went by, it became clear that not only was the flight not going to leave an hour late from Toronto, it was actually in transit from Orlando to Toronto As more time went by, the 'promised' departure from Toronto moved constantly back - broadly in hourly increments - was then promised to depart at 6.30 pm from Toronto, and then sat on the runway Eventually the flight (1881) arrived in Sarasota at roughly 11pm and, after disembarking passengers and cleaning, left at roughly 11.30pm

To add insult to injury the staff at Sarasota explained that, in the event the flight was cancelled, all they could do was give each of us an Air Canada phone number which we'd have to call and try to re-book an alternative flight, and that they -because they were only a seasonal hub - had no responsibility for finding or booking alternate flights: staggeringly cavalier and unhelpful in this supposed 'customer relationship' era.




During the flight the crew explained that the first flight from Orlando to Toronto had been cancelled due to a computer glitch (this is the 21st century...get over it!), that the second/replacement flight had had ice on its portholes (???) and that eventually it or a replacement flight then went for de-icing ( the bermuda triangle of flights out of Pearson in cold weather!) causing more delay

The flight eventually arrived in Toronto Then the baggage debacle, where we watched bags (from Orlanda as well as Sarasota) loaded one at a time, with massive gaps in-between, with brutal slowness and inefficiency By now it's roughly 2.30am and everyone is exhausted We talked to people who'd flown from Cancun, and had been waiting 3 hours for their bags This raises a residual issue - with airlines generally and not just AC - that so much of the actual flying 'experience' is barely or not at all in their hands: there we were at 3am in the morning wanting to berate someone in charge of baggage, but not a human being in sight Airlines charge for a product but don't/can't control it

Eventually we reached our home in downtown Toronto at roughly 4am

There are many facets of this sad experience which perplex me:

1) rather like the Venetians scratching their heads every time there's a strong wind and wondering why they're flooded (yet again), you have to wonder how many years Canada, and Air Canada, have had to get used to snow/storms and overcome them

2) when we arrived at Sarasota they implied that the flight was in Toronto and 'merely' delayed by an hour Only after repeated questioning did it transpire that the flight was actually in transit - delayed of course - from Orlando to Toronto There was never ANY way it could have been in Toronto for 3.30 pm, let alone its scheduled time of 2.30pm

3) I have observed that Air Canada leaks the truth in small - usually half hour - increments, always small enough not to 'alarm' the customer, and just enough to keep the 'torture' going indefinitely They would never put it in these terms, but I believe they have a policy of lying in increments to cover their (many) inefficiencies

4) we live in a digital age They had my email and, I think, phone contact details Did they ever have the efficiency, brains, courtesy, to send a text, e or whatever to say there was a problem? Of course not

Air Canada is probably top heavy with lazy, arrogant, overpaid, over pensioned, over-entitled and mostly old people who rely on seniority rather than competence If they had real competition they'd all be redundant/bankrupt My contempt for them grows with each dismal experience We should all try to travel on any alternative in order to teach these dismally arrogant, inefficient people a lesson in customer service and humanity

Air Canada are the worst company I have ever dealt with. Their managers only want profit they care nothing for their customers. They are a totally dishonest despicable set up. Never fly with this shabby outfit.

Air Canada have the worst customer service I have ever encountered. The staff are rude illiterate smug and poorly trained. A hideous fraudulent company that simply wants to rip its customers off. They deserve to go bankrupt.

Terrible, phone is always busy, are they all sleeping??????

1. No simple little TSA Pre Screen stamp in Phoenix, so those of us who spent lots of time and effort to sign up for Pre Screen have to wait for up to 1 hour at security.
2. If the flight is behind schedule their gate agents load in "cattle call" formation so those of us who purchase first class get no benefit for boarding. For some of us its a safety issue which AC could care less about.
3. When their baggage equipment is "frozen", if you believe that, you will wait an entire day in Toronto while your bag sits right at the same airport.
You can have this level of mediocrity. Not me.

we were booked onAC#173 Toronto to Calgary on Dec 22nd, 2013 - because of the major ice storm, takeoff was delayed by 2 and 1/2 hours - by the time the food and beverage service began, people were ravenous - my wife and I were at the back of the plane and when the flight attendants arrived, there was no food available - like everyone else our breakfast was a long way down - all 3 Flight attendants gave up their lunch so that we could eat - I want to thank them for their kindness and unselfishness - please convey our thanks to all 3 of them - Happy New Year Marj and Reg Morden

i wonder why air canada have this phone# if they dont answer it

Customer service - what customer service? A money grab is all I see. I wanted to cancel my daughter's flight and was told that I had to cancel my flight too, then rebook it. Of course, I didn't get the same rate and had to pay an extra $400.oo - BUT - they had $500 of my money already, in flight credit, but I couldnt use it because my daughter made the reservations, but I paid for them!! Small wonder they cant keep their customers. I don't believe any of their promises and will never travel with them again.

I had booked a flight from SFO to IST via toronto. I had some questions for which I called Air Canada customer care number in USA about 4 times. Each time I was put on hold for 20 mins. Then I would hear a ring, 2 mins after which my call would get disconnected. Everytime I called all I heard was "All our customer care reps are busy". I guess they are understaffed. Best of luck if any of you decide to choose AC. Customer care is a joke.

Worst Airline ever! Customer service is now in India where they read you exactly what you can read online yourself. Then they patronize you telling you they know how you feel. Could not get my bag on my flight due to the tight 5 hour connection. My bag again missed the flight the next day even though I was told my bag was on it's way in. Today I am told that my bag should be on the flight and then it will take an additional 24 to 48 hours to clear customs even though I have perishable items in my bag. Fly anybody else you will be better off!

If you can figure out how to summit this to AC, you're doing better than me! No longer a Customer Service Dept apparently.

Air Canada Marketing and "Customer Service",
I am approaching retirement, consequently I've made a concerted effort to become educated in travel opportunities and costs associated with it. Cruises have dropped substantially in response to greater vacancies while air travel costs have offset these benefits
by ever increasing total costs including bogus "taxes" that are a disguise for more correctly “surcharges”, in part based on a "$75 West Texas Intermediate” oil price by AC. I work in the petroleum industry and follow closely the cost of oil vs. fuel. Auto fuel and WTI crude prices are by no means always correlatible. And nor is jet fuel. WTI currently is about U$97-98 while fuel prices have dropped much more dramatically in recent months. I recognize this for what it is, a serious facade, a substantial gouging of the discretionary and corporate traveller. If there is any fuel surcharging to be done, it should be based on the latter. Yes, Air Canada common share values have jumped by more than 1000% from about 2-2.5 years back, a credit to your current approach, but perhaps this short-term thinking may well come back to haunt the Canadian airline industry. It is apparent to me that both AC & WJ now maintain inflated flight costs by ensuring there is no competitive undercutting, which is simple collusion.
I can tell you that the recent expiry of my AC Points due to your expiry practice, the exorbitant domestic and international flight costs through each of AC & WJ and the introduction of luggage surcharges such as to golf equipment has made me reconsider very objectively about taking occasional non-business weekend trips to Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria to visit family or vacation. Your costs to consumers have become excessive.
You may have control on domestic air travel currently along with a financial chokehold on Canadian travel at this time but things do change, like it or not. Your advertisements of "cheapest flights" and "sales" are absolutely unflattering to the intellect of non-business travelers in Canada. Perhaps overly optimistic but I believe AC & WJ will recognize that stock prices for each of AC and WJ are not the only corporate interest. Perhaps stock performance for now will ensure immediate stock option gains to the executives and BOD's but it is not the solution to long term corporate or shareholder gains. And nor will it be to the general employee of your company – stability has much greater value than chatter mark stock prices.
Incidentally I have searched flights through other airlines flying to Phoenix just for example and you are up to 125% greater in cost, particularly when flying one-way return from Phoenix to Calgary. Because I am approaching retirement, my personal travels will become much more discretionary and likely more frequent. You are in my opinion playing market Russian Roulette with the discretionary traveler and I strongly suggest you reconsider. Become competitive, not collusive.
Regards,
Clifford L. Herman

SAVE YOURSELF THE ANXIETY BOOK WITH WESTJET OR AN AMERICAN CARRIER! This ignorant, abhorrent airline does not deserve anyone's hard earned money. I think this overpriveledged airline should have been allowed to go bankrupt years ago! Staff at every level take pride in your pain, we had our connecting flight delayed, delayed delayed, until they finally told us our connection to the US could not be met, and that oh too bad, its a long weekend, we are oversold and full on all flights, so you cant go till tomorrow. I flipped out, asked for a manager who, after hiding in his hole for over an hour finally came out with his condescending attitude, and basically told us too bad, go online and try to find another flight! Why do consumers insist on supporting this airline, boycott them! If Canadians would start to stand up for their rights and tell the government enough is enough, the rules need to change to the consumers benefit, not the airlines! The customer service resolution process does not even exist with these idiots, CS should not even be allowed as a claim, you are given the runaround with rude Eastern province reps who clearly are jealous of the West, and use their pompous behaviour to their benefit! This is the only industry where rudeness is allowed to prevail, any other CS agents would be terminated on site! I HATE THIS AIRLINE, and am in the process of cancelling an already scheduled flight for XMAS with them, save your airmiles, ask which airline airmiles is booking you with run far away you will get there faster if they say Air Canada.

Most awful customer services I have ever received. I was on a flight from Seattle to Hong Kong, transiting through Canada. I travelled a lot, and never had this issue before. I got to the counter, the woman didn't even look at me, just grabbed my passport and asked me if the passport belongs to me several times looking at me. There was my name written and a vivid photo of me. Her attitude was really rude. Then she told me I cant go on a flight due to the fact that I didn't have a transit visa. I travelled to Qatar, Europe and Asia, the airlines will always state if you need a visa to the destination. But Air Canada has nothing. Then I got really angry and she told me to behave myself! I was shocked, what kind of customer service is it! In the following afternoon, I needed another flight I asked if they can arrange for me. It took them more than three hours. At the end, I buy from another airline and left.

We have never had such a bad experience in customer service as we did in the Vancouver airport in the morning 9:30 am on 9th of Sep 2013. There was a Long line, where only one was counter served, at which only one Korean woman, without a name tag, who not speak english well, was working. When we had questions for her, she waved her hands and answered"wait wait wait" with no patience and not even looking at us. There was Messy management, three line ups that were all over the place. One customer was yelling. We talked to the manager on duty, Elaine, she did not show any concern about how the customer felt . We are aero plan members and very disappointed about this service and the checking in management. If given the option¡ê¬We will not choose this Airline again!

What a sloppy, untrained, group of corporate welfare bums. No answers to questions, skirt issues, and change the rules as they go along regarding baggage allowance. Only people who can't get jobs at responsible, honest companies would work for this entitled, mismanaged wreck. Shameful group where beligerent is the rule of the land.