What responsibility do Canadian airlines have to passengers as the summer travel season gets in full swing? What are your rights as a traveller? Here’s what you need to know.
What responsibility do Canadian airlines have to passengers as the summer travel season gets in full swing? What are your rights as a traveller? Here’s what you need to know.
Story time?
I work up north where it’s cold as fuck, company flys me in and out. On one travel day heading home somebody at air Canada forgot to plug the plane in after it’s final flight from the day before. I guess with what was drawing power and the frigid temperatures the battery(s) were no longer good to go for my flight. So their plan was to send a mechanic up from Vancouver with new battery(s) and get us in our way. They got halfway to us and realized they didn’t put the replacement battery(s) on the flight. So they had to turn around and get them and come back up. This caused me to miss my connection and the next one they could get me on was the next day. I submitted a claim since everything was 100% within their control. They denied it. So I replied to them with everything that happened, and told them to pay up or I was submitting a a claim with the CTA. They sent me a direct deposit for $1000 and and apology.
I’m pretty sure they deny every claim the first time. A lot of people won’t make a fuss and it saves them a lot of money. If you follow up, only then will they actually look at your claim.
We should really amend the law to be “and if they incorrectly deny a claim they have to pay 10 times more”. Enough to make it cost more than it’s worth if they do it intentionally, not enough to bankrupt them…
A penalty at least. It might help all these cases backing up the system if there was a disincentive to doing so