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Air Canada refuses to reimburse after flight cancellation

Seven weeks ago, our original night flight to Rome was cancelled due to (here I quote the Captain) 'the 2 computers in the cockpit were not talking to one another'. We'd been waiting on the tarmac for 3 hours, the last half of which had seen some AC tech guys come aboard to try and remedy the problem---to no avail. Of course, safety comes first, no argument there.

Unfortunately, the process that Air Canada had in place for communicating to all of us passengers just what to do next was inconsistent and poorly-executed.
The flight attendants indicated that there'd be immediate clarification forthcoming from AC reps--there was none.
Then the baggage kiosk guys misled a group of us confused flyers by claiming that we all had to re-fetch our luggage and take it away--again not true.

Finally at midnight, when a bunch of us finally arrived back at the appropriate Check-in counter, we met mass chaos. If AC had any senior management personnel in charge then, they were near-invisible. I politely asked one of the younger AC staff there to raise her voice (use a loudhailer, why not?) so that all of us hundreds of passengers in line, every one of us having paid for tickets, could then hear her instructions, directions and clarifications. I also pointed out to her then that there were quite a number of Italian citizens in line, whose first language was not English and whose exhausted faces were showing bewilderment.

Our flight was re-booked for the following morn at 9 am. Our choices were either a) go home (not in the cards--we live far away) or b) get to a nearby airport hotel for maybe a few scant hours of sleep or 3) what we actually decided to do: 'sleep' as best we could in an airport chair in the far corner.
Around 1 am, I approached a pair of the remaining check-in people to ask what time the Signature Lounge to which our ticket entitled us would re-open in the morn. They both told me that it would open at 6 am. In fact, it did not--- their opening time was hours later. Again, AC staff were not all on the same page.

It was astonishing to us that after so many years of being a major airline and so much negative media coverage regarding recent flight snafus in previous months that AC had neither senior leadership handling the situation nor any clear playbook for AC staff to know just what to do in such a scenario.

Anyway, we lost two amounts of money due to the cancelled/rebooked flight: 1) the two Trenitalia rail tickets that we'd booked to use the morn after our original flight (Rome to Salerno, replacement cost us 130 Euros total--we have all the receipts) and 2) our first night's fee for the rental we'd arranged in Minori on the Amalfi Coast. That latter came to 100 Euros=230 Euros.

We applied to Air Canada for compensation, including every scrap of associated paperwork. But today we were finally notified the 'because the flight had been cancelled due to weather', we would not be eligible for any recompense. This baffled us coz at no point during the original flight did the Captain nor any other AC rep ever use the word 'weather' in the explanation for why our flight had been cancelled. AC has not provided any logbook extracts nor incident reports as some European carriers will do for frustrated flyers.

This unfortunate event that cost my wife and I plenty in terms of missed train rides that we'd already paid for, significant stress, plus a night at our paid-for rental. The luxe hotel that we were to have spent our very first overnight after arriving in Rome was gracious enough to have honored our having already paid, so we won't be including them at all in the 'monies lost' totals.

EUR261 compensation seems limited, with no online link to our own 'National Authority'. So we've contacted our national Transportation Minister. We remain unclear as to how failing computers plus tech crew inability amount to 'weather'.

Will keep you posted on our progress.
I am done. This is not the End.

Posted by
1334 posts

Unfortunately, Air Canada is notorious for this. Please try all avenues:

  1. Complain to your credit card company
  2. Write to AC on social media--essentially Twitter
  3. File a complaint with the DOT
  4. Speak to AC reps located in the US (if they exist) and threaten to sue

Keep records on everything and names of every person you speak to. Good luck.

Posted by
676 posts

Looks like you did the correct thing in contacting your Transportation Minister. I would also look up the weather at your departing airport and departure time/times so if they come back with "bad weather" you can come back with "according to the national weather service....nope". Good luck! Oh,
and everything Barkinpark said too!

Posted by
4525 posts

2 questions to ask yourself:
1. Where is your travel insurance on the repayment of lost expenses in Italy.
2. Have you reviewed the updated Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations for compensation? https://rppa-appr.ca/

Posted by
8091 posts

So sorry for you delay and the $ lost. We got jerked around in Frankfurt by United 3 weeks ago, missed our connecting flight at Dulles and had to fly to another city and drive 200 mi. home in a rental car. All the small/medium size jet planes coming into our city were full for days.

There's not much you can do other than what's been outlined above.

When I plan for a flight, I do often pay attention to whether the airline has a later flight where I'm going. And I also look to see of that airline's other partner airlines have any later flights that they can easily book me on. In the future, I'm going to try to fly only the airline that flies full size jets into our medium size city.

Posted by
16024 posts

I am sorry for your discomfort and extra expense, but EC 261 does not apply to flights to a EU country from outside the EU on a non-EU carrier.

https://www.elliott.org/airline-problems/eu-ec-261-european-air-travel-rights-guide/

So you need to look to Canadian law, and your own travel insurance. It might be covered under “trip delay”, because that is what happened—you were re-booked on a different, later flight, and consequently you lost what you paid for the train and one night’s lodging.

Posted by
8252 posts

I understand you wanting to include every detail here and vent a bit. You may already be aware of this, but in any correspondence with the airline, be sure to keep it short and factual.

One often overlooked source of travel insurance is coverage associated with credit cards. That may be one source of reimbursement.

I hope that the rest of your trip went well in spite of this very tough start for you.

Posted by
32171 posts

Unfortunately it won't be possible to reach a quick settlement by complaining to the Canadian agency for passenger complaints - https://rppa-appr.ca/eng/air-travel-complaints . They're dreadfully backed up at the moment and with the current PSAC strike this is not likely to improve in the near future.

You might get some good information on how to proceed on this website - https://rppa-appr.ca/eng/air-travel-complaints .

One final point for future reference..... it's not a good idea to book train tickets with reserved seating to connect with incoming flights as if there are any flight delays, the tickets are worthless.

Posted by
3057 posts

I do not know Canadian law, but in the US the airline would not be responsible for consequential damages—-the losses you incurred as a result of the delay (the train tix and one paid night at your lodging). Think of it this way. What if you had booked a crazy expensive villa for $10,000 a night and you missed that because your flight was delayed. The airline cannot be held responsible for that—-you are supposed to cover that with travel insurance. You need to look there for help with the lost hotel night and train tix. I doubt your credit card will help either.

The airline might be responsible for the reasonable expense of a hotel you booked for the night, to get some sleep while waiting for the replacement flight the next morning. But you did not choose to do that. If you are a member of their mileage program they might “compensate” you for the stress and inconvenience with a few miles or points, but you cannot expect any $$$ compensation. I am sorry but that is the way it is.

Posted by
101 posts

Good luck! I hope you receive compensation. My only experience with Air Canada was a flight to London (originating in DC through Toronto) many years ago where they lost my luggage on the way back, even with a 2 hour delay in Toronto, and somehow not only managed to snap in half several carbon fiber zipper pulls on my brand new suitcase but also completely ripped open the main zipper on a duffel bag. When I brought the bags to my airport to have them inspected for a damage claim (the bags were delivered to my home when they arrived much later the night I flew in) I was told that the damage was cosmetic and there was nothing to complain about. I wrote a long letter (actual mail) to them venting all my frustrations from the trip over and back, and they sent me a $100 voucher that expired after a year. It was completely useless to me, as at the time I could only afford to travel internationally every 3 or 4 years. I guess the voucher was an attempt to compensate and that was nice, but the overall experience with them has meant I've avoided them since.

Posted by
3039 posts

The real lesson here is to NOT book train tickets ahead of time for use after arrival. Had you not booked ahead of time, you might have had to pay 25% additional. Instead you lost the entire sum. I have no idea why the airline should be responsible for the train tickets. The train tickets are not part of the airline package. You did not lose the money for the train tickets based on the decision of the airline. Nor should the airline be responsible for the night at your rental.

Posted by
10117 posts

This comment is about the train tickets. For a little background, we had a situation three weeks ago when our direct flight from Rome to our city in France was cancelled due to an air controllers slowdown. Unlike Gregg's situation, this gave us a bonus day in Naples, so no complaints. We ended up flying from Naples to Nice a day later and then were lucky to find a BlablaCar rideshare that picked us up at the Nice airport for the four-hour trip home.

But this is what I did about our non-refundable Naples-Rome train tickets: since these were senior fare tickets, which are usually more flexible, I changed the date forward and upgraded the class to refundable. Then once we knew that our new flight to Nice was going, I cancelled the train tickets for a fairly large refund. That way we lost less than if we had lost the full price of the tickets.

Next time someone is sitting in an airport waiting, knowing the train will leave without them, they can explore ticket flexibility.

Posted by
10177 posts

Bets, that’s a very good tip that most people wouldn’t think of. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Posted by
16024 posts

Yes, there is good advice from Bets there. Thank you!

Posted by
786 posts

I am sorry for what you have gone through. I went through a similar chaotic situation with Air Canada many years ago but it was fortunately on the way home. So I did not lose any money. However, 2 full days of chaos, confusion, and lies from Air Canada made me vow to never fly the airline again.

Posted by
606 posts

How ironic. Last night, I sent an email describing our situation to Canada's Transport Minister. This morn, he just announced his newest proposal: that going forward flyers should never have to prove they deserve recompense------the onus should be on the airlines to prove that they don't have to give any money! That minister may simply be pandering a trial balloon that he knows full well doesn't stand a chance, but still, we are impressed with his vision. Respect to Omar Alghabra! Sir, you have our votes should you ever run for King.
As for AC, one is reminded of the Zappa song 'Flakes'.

I am done. the greed

Posted by
606 posts

Pundits have criticized that minister's proposal as being ill-conceived and sure to drive up flight fares. Airline spokespeople are also claiming that the fees and taxes that they are already paying to the federal government should be better applied towards upgrading a failing air transit infrastructure--antiquated luggage carousels being one of their examples.

Shareholders surely have their own opinions as well.
I am done. the lack of trust

Posted by
8252 posts

I do understand just how frustrating this must have been for you. I hope that you either get the resolution you hope for or can find a way to accept that you self-insured and move on.

Posted by
606 posts

Thank you to all for the above input. In the haste and fury of tryna get our losses back, I forgot that of course, there were two very likely sources of recompense: Visa card plus travel insurance. As a retired teacher, I've got built-in coverage of the latter sort and we are are now set up to go through them.

It was God's Sense of Humour at both ends of the trip. Upon our return, we received a massive shock. My mother had died a week prior and the relative who had our contact info in Italy (Minori, Ischia, Rome) had their phone-charger go dead. Additional attempts to reach us through what they thought was the agency we'd used proved fruitless--we'd actually gone directly through the owners in all cases.

How ironic. On the day she died, my wife and I had visited Maronti beach (see 'My Brilliant Friend') to collect Mom's fave garden decor, water-worn sea pebbles plus bits of former tiles. We'd planned to surprise her with a modest bagful as a quirky gift. As well that same day, we'd bought her an actual replica Dali 'melting clock'.

Time indeed.
I am done. the end

Posted by
3064 posts

I ‘m very sorry to hear about your Mum’s death, that must have been a terrible shock indeed, and also terrible for the person who couldn’t reach you.
I hope you get reimbursed for your flight woes.

Posted by
606 posts

And finally this below mass response, which we (and all other disappointed flyers must have) just got today.
I am done. the politics

'Good day,
Allow me to assure you that your concerns have been noted and that the Government of Canada is committed to improving the air traveller experience for Canadians. Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) govern the treatment of passengers by air carriers and clarify minimum standards of treatment and compensation that must be provided to passengers based on the level of control an air carrier has over flight disruptions, including those associated with flight delays and cancellations.

In situations where passengers feel they have not been treated appropriately by an air carrier, in all instances, I recommend that they first write directly to the carrier about their experience. If they are not satisfied with the carrier’s response, they may then choose to contact the Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency), which has a mandate to review unresolved consumer complaints against air carriers and to assist consumers to the extent possible. Contact information for the Agency is as follows:

Canadian Transportation Agency

Air Travel Complaints Program

Ottawa ON K1A 0N9

Telephone: 1-888-222-2592

Website: https://rppa-appr.ca/eng.

Recognizing that recent events have demonstrated the importance of ensuring support for consumers and easy access to the APPR, the government is also committed to actively assessing the functioning of Canada’s passenger rights regime to ensure that it continues to meet passenger needs.

Jessica

Executive Correspondence Unit

Transport Canada/Government of Canada'

Posted by
4021 posts

I suspect the Canadian Transport Agency also has some swampland in Florida to sell you after that letter of crap. One more inefficient and ineffective bureaucracy.

Posted by
2942 posts

What a useless word salad from Canada Transport. I wouldn't be surprised if they copy/pasted that response thousands of times.

Posted by
11027 posts

But today we were finally notified the 'because the flight had been cancelled due to weather', we would not be eligible for any recompense.

The weather situation should be easy to document, both for what ever was your departure point and Rome .

Posted by
21 posts

Hello. Here is an incident we encountered last year. It's in regards to airlines not covering expenses. Because of a late American Airlines arrival at Heathrow we missed connecting flt to Barcelona. AA rebooked us on British Airways to Paris then Air France to Barcelona. Somewhere in there our luggage was lost. We were leaving on a 14 day Med Cruise. Air France told us to keep track of our expenses for reimbursement. We did not get our luggage until the last full day of our cruise. We incured $1600 in expenses between the 2 of us.
After submitting everything we were only reimbursed $96! Travel insurance to the rescue. We submitted through them and received full payment. Minus what the airlines had already paid. But, it took 6 months for them to process the claim.

Posted by
606 posts

Latest Update:
To be fair to AC: they have just offered us (and all other flyers) a one-time 20% discount off base-fare for the next 3 years.

Either that or a recording of Nickleback live in Shnrelb at the 'Good-Peoples-who-we-No-Elektrokute' Theatre 2007 (Producer's cut).
I am done. the flight

Posted by
606 posts

And so, to end. A final email from AC today:

'I am sorry you remain disappointed.
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.
We hope the goodwill promo code provided to you earlier will encourage you to fly with us again. This is Air Canada’s final position on the compensation, and we are unable to offer further consideration.
Sincerely,
Customer Relations
Air Canada
To serve you best, I kindly ask that you do not change the subject line if responding to this email.'

I am done. The end.

Posted by
606 posts

Final final.
We've used that above AC '20% discount' offer on our upcoming French flights. That amounted to about $2,000.
And so this saga ends.

I am done. the persistent