Fuming January 15, 2002 Updated October 15, 2005 And again June 12, 2006 Down with Air Canada

.....

¶ Nothing makes me madder than a blatant consumer rip-off, and have I got a beauty for all fellow Canadians. It's about the fleecing of Canadians by Air Canada.

The monopoly

¶ Air Canada has a virtual monopoly of the Canadian skies, as it has cornered 80% of the business. Do you have a choice of air carriers? Yes, but only if you are flexible, timewise, and do not mind combining car rentals and train with flying. No, if you have to get around on a tight schedule. So, Canadians end up paying ridiculous amounts for trips within Canada. Just consider that Montreal-Vancouver costs over 1000 dollars return, and that is just a discount fare, which on most days is not even available. It costs 2859 dollars return for regular economy! Try Montreal-Toronto return, WITH a Saturday: 856 dollars return for "excursion" (lowest) fare, and 950 dollars return for economy fare. That is for a flight of 500km. In comparison, a German friend flew twice in 2001 from Germany to visit me in Montreal at about 400 Canadian dollars return. I remember the good old days that Montreal-Toronto by air was competing with the train.

The insult

¶ In 2002, I was very surprised to learn that Air Canada had secretly reduced its frequent flier mileage claims to 50% of actual miles flown for all excursion (reduced) fare trips. And since January 1, 2002, this was further reduced to 35% of actual miles flown. Now, the kicker: this only applies to flights within Canada! To make sure, of course, that only Canadians get punished by Air Canada. I almost fell off my chair. So, to get proper full air miles on your Aeroplan, you will need to fork over the outrageous prices, like 2859 dollars for Montreal-Vancouver return. They might have saved themselves a lot of trouble by just plainly canceling the frequent flier plan altogether.

More insults

¶ I have not flown Air Canada since it became an American airline in the hands of Americans. It only buys Boeings, and its service is the pits. Except once, when I was part of a group traveling from Montreal to Calgary in the Fall of 2005. On the way back, I had my foot in the aisle because the seats were too close together for my long legs. The steward gave my foot a gentle kick and added in a not-so-gentle voice Stick that foot under the seat in front of you. This prompted the passenger seated behind me to complain. The steward barked back at him in a loud voice, his face purple with anger: Do you have a problem with that? That conversation got out of hand, and the main steward later apologized, saying that this particular steward has a character problem. Well then, why was he allowed to be on the plane, insulting passengers, kicking legs, serving non-food, and terrorizing the few passengers who want to speak up? Is he the enforcer we are used to on all our hockey teams?

The injury

¶ In 2005, a new level of arrogance was reached by the company. Air Canada decided to join all other *&%$#@! North American carriers and remove the free food service from all of its routes in North America. You can still buy stuff though (big deal!). Bags over 23 kilograms, while still allowed, will cost you 35 dollars each. It's probably illegal under IATA rules (2 bags of 70 pounds), but hey, this is Air Canada! And you have to carry your heavy bags yourself to a special dock. Small pets are no longer allowed in the main coach. There is going to be a 2 dollar surcharge for cushions and blankets, if you can believe that! It borders on the pathetic. So, the Globe and Mail published the cartoon below.

Thank you, Globe and Mail!

¶ On June 10, 2006, Jeffrey Simpson, one of the most respected and smartest writers in this country, published an article in the Globe and Mail entitled Air Canada doesn't give a damn. I'll fly WestJet. Pretty strong language, yes. But he has tens of arguments to back up his story. The bottom line is that the brass, Robert Milton and Montie Brewer, have created an airline disconnected from both customers and employees, thanks to a virtual monopoly. Here is the text of his article. A jpeg follows below.

What to do?

¶ Do not fly Air Canada, period. Make a statement. Support the fledgling Canadian regional airlines, and do not ignore charters like Air Transat. Fly from American cities just across the border, like Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, Minneapolis or Seattle. Hey, New York-Vancouver is 818USD, return. Not cheap, but that was just the first fare I got on a web search. And if prices drop in Canada, look for American carriers to drop their prices to Canadian cities! Do not cry if and when Air Canada goes bankrupt, but throw a party, and welcome open competition. Remember, Air Canada has nothing Canadian about it. It is a private, basically American, company. Join other frequent flier plans. Some offer incredible deals, with double and triple miles very common on many flights. Lobby your friends who work for Air Canada: don't they see that all this corporate bullying may undermine their future?

More complaints

¶ What the others are saying. The Canadian press points out that full fare passengers are routinely getting bumped onto cheap no frills planes run by Tango. Also, as all Canadians know, we have ads for Air Canada flights Montreal-Toronto 99 dollars. Fine print: this is one way. About six kinds of fees and taxes to be added. Total fare for a return trip close to or over 400 dollars (January 2003). How about that for creative advertising? It is finally out in the open, thanks to commissioner Liette Lacroix Kenniff. Can we finally hope for a better climate, and stiff penalties for this corporate thief?

Improved awards program

¶ Fast forward to October 2006. In an effort to improve their air miles program, Air Canada decided to let all miles older than three years lapse. If you do not use the miles saved, then they disappear. What is interesting is that if you use Air Canada award miles, you still have to pay extra fees, typically hundreds of dollars on a transatlantic ticket. Taxes they call it. The calculation goes something like this: 15% government taxes on 0 is 270 dollars.

My dream airline

¶ On long hauls: Schedule night flights with beds, perhaps stacked two or three high, in the style of Japanese cubbyhole hotels. No movies, no noise, no food, just let me sleep. Booze: Free, unlimited, anytime, anywhere. A friendly staff. Ever flown Singapore or Thai Airlines? North American carriers do not even begin to understand the word "service". No frequent flier plans, please. They are targeting the rich business crowd, and leave ordinary citizens even more frustrated than ever. No in-flight phones, gizmos, electronic games. Just keep it simple, and smile. Big screen help with maps and airplane cameras looking down that tell me the names of all the cities, rivers, states, mountains, and so on, just like in an atlas. So that we can learn while we fly over all those gorgeous places. I would not mind if that replaced the second rate movies that are shown on most flights nowadays. At the airport: free wireless connections and free terminals to connect to the internet. Waiting areas: chairs with tables to work on. We are asked to show up 2 to 3 hours before each flight, so please allow us to use our time productively. I have a hard time writing with a pad on my knees in a plastic chair. Luggage: Increase the allowance beyond the international agreements, and make it a selling point. No surcharges for bicycles.

Copyright © 2001-2006 Luc Devroye School of Computer Science McGill University Montreal, Canada H3A 2K6 luc@cs.mcgill.ca http://cg.scs.carleton.ca/~luc