Air Canada should be embarrassed for their truly terrible experience. Every single interaction I experienced with them was absolutely the worst, most unprofessional service I have ever received. We were to fly from Seattle to Montreal then to Barcelona. We arrived to the airport at 5AM for our flight and it was to leave at 7:50AM. At 7:30AM they started boarding and then promptly stopped due to a "mechanical issue" They delayed the flight by 30minutes, then an hour, then another hour, then 4 hours, finally at 1:30PM they announced cancellation. Through out the delay process, the AC employees would abandon their gate instead of helping answer questions or help us rebook our connecting flights that we were missing. When they were there they would say "we can't talk about that flight until X time"

Everytime they announced a new delay, we waited in long lines to get service and rebook our connectings over and over again. We spent 30 minutes waiting in a line, only for everyone to find out this was just a line for food vouchers! The manager said "i made an announcement about what line to stand in" but no one heard it. People were crying and fighting in line! The AC customers were actually doing more of the communication than the AC employees were. Further more, the food vouchers we were provided would not be accepted by any of the airport resteruants because there was no number to enter into a POS system to close out the sale (...duh air canada).

Once the flight was cancelled we were told by the gate manager, Nicole that we would receive $700 in compensation per ticket for the delay. AC rebooked us on a flight with an 8 hour lay over in Dublin. In total, our delay was 15 hours to our final destination in Europe. This delay could have been much shorter had AC cancelled the flight hours earlier and rebooked us all appropriately.

When I got home, I filled out a claim for this compensation that Nicole promised us. It said AC would take 30 days to review it. Less than 24 hours later, I'm already denied. So, I called the customer service line and a rep named Chad told me he would escalate to management and I would receive a supervisor call by 9/1. I kid you not, 1 HOUR later I get an email saying that my claim is still denied but they would offer me a $300 credit. Furthermore they did not address my issue about the fact that I had not received my $200 refund for seat selections on the cancelled flight that never occurred. I replied to the email and asked them to please call me, as Chad had promised. I call again a few days later and a rep tells me that it's protocol to email first and that they will still call. She said to reply to the email and I'll get a supervisor call soon. Finally after 3 weeks and no replies, I call again and speak with a customer service rep who now tells me that customer relations doesn't take phone calls and that both of the other reps have misspoken. I asked how I can speak to a manager about this and she said that I can't because they consider my claim closed. She said she was the highest rep I could talk to even though she claimed she was a "reservation agent" (that did not make any sense to me but she claimed she had no way of escalating me to anyone further...how bizarre!) I told her this was unethical customer service and totally unreasonable. She ACTUALLY said she agreed with me and wouldn't want to be treated this way as a customer either.

She told me I should submit a claim with a government agency to file this complaint. I had to argue with her on the phone that compensation for the delay may be governement issues but the REFUND for seat selections on the flight that never occurred was a customer service issue, not the government's problem to handle! She eventually understood and helped me with that portion.

It's not just the exorbidant delay that blows my mind about this experience but every single interaction with mulitple different customer service agents is really tarnishing my opinion of Air Canada. It truly could not be more ametuer, unprofessional, and unethical. I don't trust companies that provide conflicting information. Literally every employee we spoke with had a different story to tell. At the gate, one of the reps answered a FACETIME call while trying to continue to answer my questions. He was talking to two people at once.

You can see online they have a strong reputation for cancellations and delays. They don't have to compensate their customers if they claim it was due to "unscheduled maintenance or safety issues" But who is holding them accountable for delay reasons they claim? An airline shouldn't have this happening regularly and it makes me believe that this can be prevented.

I have a hunch that this was actually due to a staffing issue or a part they were waiting to have flown in and never did (again could be due to staffing or their poor planning of what should have been scheduled maintenance). One woman waiting to get on this flight told us this is the THIRD time this has happened to her with Air Canada and she doesn't know why she booked with them, she said that she felt like an idiot for booking again.

I've flown so many times in my life, including on SPIRIT AIRLINES and I've never experienced such an awful amount of delay and miscommunication.
DONOT FLY WITH THEM.

Hi,

This is Matt, My daughter is 12 and over 24 times international travels, no other airline made an issue of this (read this again plz); but after check-in, in the gate Air Canada (AC) agent refused to board us because my daughter last name in her Canadian and US passport (Noble) is different with that in Iranian passport (Asghari) because in Iran they force us to put father family name for the child and we chose a better family name in Canada where she will be living. As usual we bought the ticket based on the spelling in her Canadian passport (Noble). I wish you could imagine how much this turned to a nightmare for us as we had planned to attend her cousin's wedding... All my child trauma and crying and my begging to the gate agent did not work... we were in panic mode... My wife and daughter are still in shock and my wife OCD and anxiety/depression is suddenly back and she is just lying in the bed. The gate agent instead of the smallest sympathy told us "I can show you the exit!"...then we asked... so, what we should do now... he says go do a rebooking and put both names as family name (Asghari Noble). In panic mode I Google AC customer service no and call 1-800 number and they say don't worry we will make a new booking with name change and get all our info and credit card no and they say they would get back to us... I call them back several times... they say they are working on it but it might take till one day later (they send me an email of new booking details but need to be confirmed)... we take a taxi and get back home in Kitchener at midnight. Then I realized that the AC number that google gave me and I called it in panic mode, was a fake no. It was from flyvaultdeals.com... So until 3 am, I called the credit card co and blocked my account, then I called the travel agency where we got our ticket. After 1h they answer and say I have to call AC. I call AC and no one answers after 1.5h... I just leave the phone on and sleep! In the morning I called AC again and this time someone called me back. The lady is very sympathetic and helpful. She says the agent's advice (using both family names) was wrong and won't work; so we won't be able to travel until we fix the passport issue but she assures me that we will get a full refund. She says the refund will be processed by the travel agency (although our credit card shows AC)…I contacted the travel agency. After 1h they told me they would talk to AC and get back to me… today I received an email from them and I contacted them right way… it takes another 2h; they say AC will issue a refund if we do another booking. I say we are too late for the wedding (which was today) and the AC customer service told us we could not do booking until passport issue is resolved (against what the AC agent advised us in the gate)… so the travel agency now asks me "ask AC to send us to process a refund without new bookings" or upload AC reply showing that AC is OK with full refund (I said the AC customer service lady already told me this …. However, the travel agency asks for proof)…

….In 2019, AC made another nightmare for us, I asked the flight attendant in Berlin coming back to Toronto "do you have a Tylenol so my 8 yo can fly better as she has ear pain … she made a big deal of it and after talking to the captain, they throw us from airplane LIKE A PIECE OF TRASH… without telling us what to do… and then Lufthansa booked us a flight back the next day (without talking about the cost or anything)… unbelievable, how pathetic is AC, …Can you imagine how my child (a proud Canadian) feels about AC (who throws out Canadian Citizens like a piece of trash in another country for asking whether they have a Tylenol?!) she just hates the name Air Canada…. Now instead of feeling sympathy and offering us compensation (we will talk about this in the court), AC is torturing us by making the refund process painful?… really?! REALLY?! Read again (over 24 times international travels, no other airline made an issue of this) … How disgusting a company can be?

No… this time I will take this to media, news, court, everywhere, and already making a website "aircanadanightmares" … I have now severe stomach pain from the hatred while I am writing these

After 6 days we have not heard anything back from AC and our multiple calls were useless... they just say 'file a complaint in AC website'

Ticket:

Toronto to Vienna – AC 886
Aug 9,6:15 PM–Aug 10,8:30 AM
Take-off
Wed, Aug 9,6:15 PM
Landing
Thu, Aug 10,8:30 AM
Flight duration
8 hr, 15 min
Passenger name

Seat
-
Confirmation number

Vienna to Tehran – OS 871
Aug 10,2:20 PM–9:05 PM
Take-off
Thu, Aug 10,2:20 PM
Landing
Thu, Aug 10,9:05 PM
Flight duration
5 hr, 15 min
Passenger name
Mehdi Asghari Khiavi
Seat
-
Confirmation number
223-275-342
Tehran to İstanbul – TK 873
Sep 7,4:45 AM–6:45 AM
Take-off
Sep 7,4:45 AM
Landing
Sep 7,6:45 AM
Flight duration
2 hr, 30 min
Passenger name
Mehdi Asghari Khiavi
Seat
-
Confirmation number
URYU5Z
İstanbul to London – TK 1979
Sep 7,7:50 AM–9:50 AM
Take-off
Sep 7,7:50 AM
Landing
Sep 7,9:50 AM
Flight duration
4 hr, 0 min
Passenger name
Mehdi Asghari Khiavi
Seat
-
Confirmation number
URYU5Z
London to Toronto – AC 855
Sep 7,12:05 PM–2:55 PM

Please don't try don't fly xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxx

Greetings. My trip -- June 26 to July 14,2017 -- from Medellin where I live to visit my 83-year old mother in Canada was one from hell.
First of all, there was a delay from Bogota to Toronto of six hours which turned into nine. I asked for a complimentary pass to the lounge. Since Im a writer, I need space to work and an area where I can concentrate.
The woman I was talking with couldnt make a call, so she asked her supervisor who couldnt do it either. The Air Canada staff in Colombia seem to have the collective decision-making power of an ameba.
Giving me a pass to the lounge would have cost Air Canada a bit of food and drink, but I would have been a happy flyer. Instead I was given a voucher for 25,000 about $12 CAD for lunch. There is no way you are going to get fat on that at airport restaurants.
Vouchers for dinner were not available. Instead they showed up with junk food that I would never normally eat. It tasted about the same going down as it did coming up.
On the return flight, I ended up with a window seat. I always want aisle seats and had done so when I booked the ticket on January 24th, 2017. The ticket was changed three times. More annoyance.
It was a full flight so I ended up stuck with the window. Consequently, I went 33 hours with no sleep. It took me about three days to recover when I got back to Medellin.
I contacted customer service a number of times. Eventually, they sent me a code to claim a discount. The offer of a 15 percent discount on my next flight simply doesnt cover the problems I encountered with Air Canada.
I originally wrote this letter to Michael Stein from customer service, but it was merely a no-reply email address with the discount code.
When I called again and all the agent could advise was that I contact customer services, I decided that it was time to by-pass them and go directly to the top. Since customer service couldnt give me anything more than a no-response option, I decided to turn this into an open letter.
I think a reasonable reimbursement would be a return ticket from Medellin to Saskatoon, a complimentary upgrade to business class or 25 lounge vouchers.
Cut and copied below is an article I wrote for The Travel Itch about my experience with Air Canada in 2012.
Thank-you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Jody Hanson
Also posted on:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jody.hanson.5070?hc_ref=ARQQyR0_Nk_YDWvbsiKofblAP_wYlWbSywDIJmGNMrWYEW3MR67RSPsn14P7Ilkz7N8&fref=nf
Twitter -- https://www.facebook.com/jody.hanson.5070?hc_ref=ARQQyR0_Nk_YDWvbsiKofblAP_wYlWbSywDIJmGNMrWYEW3MR67RSPsn14P7Ilkz7N8&fref=nf

Stuck with Air Canada:
62 Hours from BOG to YXE
By Jody Hanson
If you are on the Air Canada flight to Toronto, come with me. Tim Bridges, a passenger, took it upon himself to go through the airport and muster the passengers of the cancelled flight 963 from Bogota to Toronto.
The benign chaos reminded me of living in Nigeria. The first indication of a flight being delayed or cancelled was the airline staff quietly going into hiding, as nobody wanted to cop the flack.
But this was Colombia and if it hadn't been for Tim taking charge, people may well have been stuck in the airport overnight, afraid to leave in case the flight was finally called. The frustration was that there were no Air Canada representatives to be found, no announcements, and no attempt to locate the stranded.
To backtrack, when I left the hotel at 10:30 a.m. there was no message from Orbitz an online booking site that sends messages of a delay. When I checked in at the airport half an hour later, however, an agent at Air Canada announced that the 14:00 flight had been postponed until 17:30 and handed me a lunch voucher. I wished she hadn't.
The Presto restaurant is best described as disgusting, and about the only thing on offer is hamburgers. I was hungry, so I ate one. Bad decision. Almost as soon as the somewhat-off grease hit my stomach it made an upward rebound.
And when food tastes the same coming up as it does going down you know it is truly revolting. It wasn't that there was a shortage of restaurants at the airport; the issue was that Air Canada opted for the most el cheapo one available.
When I got to the Star Alliance lounge and checked my email I found six messages from Orbitz, each stating that the flight had been further postponed. The final projection was for 22:13, a mere eight hours and 13 minute delay. Still no contact of any kind from representatives of Air Canada.
I used Skype and talked with Linda at the Air Canada help desk in Toronto. She informed me that the airline was awaiting inbound equipment. Neither of us could figure out what that meant.
I inquired about the flight at the lounge desk and the staff replied there was no word from Air Canada and they weren't answering their phone. Eventually I went to the desk with the "flight cancelled" message on the laptop screen. Shortly after, Oscar finally an Air Canada representative who was helpful appeared and we were taken to the Holiday Inn at about 20:00, six hours after the flight should have departed.
Nothing makes people bond faster than a common unpleasant experience. Rumours about what had happened abounded. The leading contender was that the flight had left for Bogota, but a passenger had gone ballistic so the plane had returned to Toronto. The runner-up was that it was mechanical problems, and trailing in third place was that there had been a storm.
The mute representatives from Air Canada would not offer an explanation. Did they know or does Air Canada management regard reasons for delays as corporate secrets?
Landed with a couple of hundred or so it seemed unexpected guests, the staff at the Holiday Inn were overwhelmed and kicked into a go-slow mode. After procuring a room and having a fast shower to wash away the grime of the airport, there was only one sane and reasonable thing to do: Go to the bar and drink Scotch.
Our flight was rescheduled for the following afternoon at 14:00,24-hours after we were to have departed. The line-up was ridiculous and the check-in speed next door to dead stop. The bumped passengers and the ones booked on the flight for the day milled around. Boarding cards were replaced and we eventually ended up in the waiting area, hoping the plane would actually leave.
And we all had a story. Danielle Gutstein reported that the night before she had been told to wait here for food vouchers for dinner.
Then the representative from Air Canada disappeared and didn't return for three hours. And when she was spotted given away by her uniform she made a studious attempt to avoid the passengers clamoring for her attention.
Another passenger and her fiancé had come in from Lima to catch a connecting flight and never wanted to stop in Colombia, as they had heard it was too dangerous. They ended up with an extra passport stamp they hadn't counted on.
The scheduled-for 14:00 plane didn't leave Bogota until 15:10. Even though my math skills are questionable, it didn't take rocket science to figure out that with an hour and a half to make my connection to Saskatoon, it wasn't going to happen. Consequently, I had to spend a night in Toronto. And totally reprehensible was that Air Canada selected hotel didn't even have a bar for some soothing Scotch.
The Air Canada representative in Toronto booked me on the 16:10 flight to Saskatoon. The next morning I checked online and discovered I could have been on the 11:00 or the 13:00. However, by the time I got through to a representative it took 27 minutes it was dodgy to make the 11:00.
And I would be wait-listed on the 13:00 with no guarantee I wouldn't get to spend an additional three fun-filled hours at the Lester B. International. Pass and opt for a late check-out.
When I finally emerged from the plane in Saskatoon I'd chalked up 62 hours from the time I'd arrived at the airport in Bogota. It was difficult, but I managed to restrain myself and not kiss the ground like John Paul II.
About the only good thing I have to say about the trip is that at least my bags arrived, although both of them were damaged. As an aside, I've quit counting the number of times Air Canada has lost my luggage.
Given my consistently annoying experiences with the airline, the obvious solution is to avoid Air Canada. Alas, when you live overseas, book your tickets online and have to get to central Canada to visit your ageing parents it isn't much of a travel option as the train takes too long.
So let's just hope that passengers like Tim Bridges continue to do Air Canada's job.
Jody Hanson is a Canadian freelance writer and travel junkie currently living in Buenos Aires. She has visited 98 countries, lived in eight and holds passports for three.