Two weeks ago, I flew to California along with three other people . All four of us were booked on the same flight Air Canada for 8:30 am. We arrived at Pearson International Airport the recommended two hours before our boarding time, and unfortunately, customs and security took about that long to get through.
We got to the gate just as they were boarding, and one by one we handed our boarding passes to the woman at the counter. The other three travellers handed theirs along, but when it came time for me to hand mine to them, the woman checked my name and, with a straight face and no semblance of regret, handed back my boarding pass and passport, and told me there was no room on the plane and I would have to wait to see if I seat opened up.
I was flabbergasted. I've flown Air Canada several times in the past and never had any issues getting onto my flight. Unfortunately, one of my fellow travelers who had just flown in from England had also experienced the same issue on her Air Canada flight into Toronto a couple days prior.
We explained to the woman that the four of us had plans that we had to follow that day when landing in San Francisco. This was the day we were going to use to get situated in our hotel and organize everything we needed for the coming days. The woman did not apologize, but simply stated that I could wait until the last minute as the plane filled up and would get a seat if someone didn't show up. If not, they would put me onto the next flight in 3 1/2 hours. The others asked if they could also stay behind and wait with me, as we were a unit and should be travelling together. The woman told them that their luggage was already on the plane and that she could not guarantee them a seat on the next flight.
My fellow travellers got onto the plane and I sat to the side to watch as other people filled the plane, hoping that someone wouldn't show up. There were about six passengers that were very late, with the woman telling them, "You're holding up the entire plane", and the exacerbated passengers trying to explain that customs took disgustingly long to get through. The doors closed, the plane left, and the woman waved me over to her.
She directed me to go to customer service where someone would be waiting to book me onto the next flight. When I got to the customer service desk, they knew I was coming. The woman there took my passport and began to book me onto the next flight. She barely spoke to me and gave me no apology whatsoever. She told me that I would be getting a cheque in the mail for $400 and handed me a $10 meal voucher. She then said, "Here is a paper saying that we're sorry", and handed me a sheet explaining Air Canada's overbooking practice and that I would be compensated. She handed me my new boarding pass and the $10 voucher and without another word, walked away.
The flight to California was 5 1/2 hours, and I didn't leave again for another 3 hours. This meant that the rest of my party would land in San Francisco and then have to sit and wait for me at the SFO airport for 3 1/2 hours for me to arrive. They were compensated nothing for their inconvenience - they weren't even offered an apology.
My $10 voucher was a joke. It was only usable in their restaurants - not in any of the convenience stores - and anyone who has ever been to the Pearson Airport will know that $10 will barely get you a drink at the restaurants. And while I was told that I would be getting $400 in compensation, it was going to be sent in the mail (which was no help to me in the moment), and two weeks later I still have not received the cheque.
Overbooking flights is something that Air Canada practices regularly. When looking at their website, I found this blurb explaining it:
Does Air Canada overbook its flights?
Just the facts:
Yes, we do.
Behind the facts:
Airline customers place a high value on refundable tickets (in case they can't make their flight, don't show up or decide to change travel plans). In these cases, overbooking is a means (certainly not perfect but, on the whole, pretty viable) which allows us to offer refundable tickets without losing a lot of money.
In the rare circumstances (and it is rare) where customers can't get on a flight due to overbooking, we offer compensation (in the form of a travel voucher or cash) and we make alternate arrangements to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.
The statement on their website in regards to overbooking that infuriates me most is the claim that a customer being bumped from their flight is rare. Within three days, this happened twice, once to myself and once to my fellow traveller on a completely different flight.
To add to my annoyance, when I went to wait for my return flight home 5 days later, I was asked to check a small carry-on bag that had breakable souvenirs in it. I didn't want to check the bag, but was told that I had to, as the flight was full and they were allowing passengers only one piece of carry-on instead of the usual two. The assured me that a fragile sticker would be placed on the bag and it would be handled with care. When the flight landed, I went to the fragile baggage area and waited. My bag didn't come out. There was also a woman waiting, with two very young children, for her baby stroller that hadn't shown up. I went to the customer service counter to inquire and while waiting, I overheard an announcement over an employee's radio that some luggage had been left behind on the bridge after the passengers had been taken off the plane, including a baby stroller. The customer service agent told me to go back and wait, as my luggage was most likely one of those left on the bridge. When I finally got my bag, there was no fragile sticker and it came out on the normal conveyor belt.
TL;DR: I was involuntarily bumped from my flight regardless of the fact that I had a confirmed reservation and a boarding pass. I was promised compensation that I haven't received. My bags were mishandled (WHAT A SHOCK).
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