Her'e's a passenger that gets it....

[Ifly]

Poor service gives flight to grievances

LANA PAYNE
The Telegram

Air Canada has much bigger problems than the price of fuel.
It has become the airline that everyone loves to hate and, after two days of being stranded in Halifax, I can see why.
Let’s be clear. This is not about the people who work on the front lines for Air Canada. The check-in agents. The gate agents. The baggage people. The mechanics. The pilots and flight attendants. These people do not make the decisions.
They are, instead, on the receiving end of a justifiably angry Air Canada clientele. They are forced to implement virtually inhuman corporate practices when passengers are stranded late at night hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometres away from home.
And some of them are numb. It is the way they cope, because they go to work every day knowing that someone will be mad at them. Someone will shout at them because they work for a corporation that no longer understands the meaning of service and, quite frankly, doesn’t care about it.

Began with deregulation
Air Canada’s fall started with the deregulation and privatization of the airline industry — policies that have failed the air-travelling public, and policies that were denounced by the workers at Air Canada.
These same policies have made the men running Air Canada over the past decade filthy rich.
Every day, Air Canada employees go to work to find that their work has changed. There is not enough staff to cover a shift properly. They must now tell passengers to get their own boarding cards. To get their own baggage tags. To re-book their own cancelled or re-routed flights. The message to staff is clear: don’t help anyone, because helping costs money.
Their Air Canada bosses — responsible for the downgraded service — are closeted away from the travelling public. They don’t have to face dazed, confused and often scared passengers — stranded by bad weather, like thunder and lightning storms in central Canada last week, or caplin weather in St. John’s.
They do not have to endure heaps of abuse or a litany of frustrations.
And once you experience enough of it, it’s difficult to go to work and care about what you do.
I understand all of this. I understand that this makes it difficult to feel compassion because, on top of that, they have had their wages, benefits and working conditions eroded while the boss brings home tens of millions in salary and stock options.
But sometimes all you need is an expression of sympathy, even if that person can do little to help.
I needed it Monday night after failing to get on the fourth or fifth flight of the day. I needed someone to listen to my frustrations about the totally inadequate 1-800 line and the fact that the corporation refused to do anything for hundreds of stranded passengers except tell them to wait. And on top of it all, my seven-year-old just spent 12 hours in an airport, handling it with more grace than some of the adults. That night, all I got was the numbness.
You see, that’s what Air Canada’s countless restructuring plans, layoffs and downgraded service have done to so many of their staff. But not all of them.
Not the friendly faces at the St. John’s airport. And not Halifax gate agents Kevin and Terri-Lynn, who helped us with compassion, understanding and humour. They have refused to let the corporation, the bosses, the rules, the angry masses, get to them. Air Canada doesn’t deserve them.

Helpless staff
There is so little the frontline staff can do unless the big guys running the operations decide they will do something — put on an extra flight, use a larger plane. Anything so people are not forced to spend their hard-earned paycheques on hotels and extra meals, or waste their vacation in an airport.
Sunday night, after circling Torbay airport and then flying back to Halifax, we were handed a scrap of paper with two 1-800 numbers on it as we stumbled off the plane.
The first number was supposed to help you find a hotel.
It didn’t. The second was an Air Canada support line, so we could rebook another flight. We phoned the number at least six times. I gave up counting after that. One call lasted more than 90 on-hold minutes. My husband gave up at about 2:30 a.m. and I started calling again around 4:30 a.m. No one ever answered.
I kept thinking of the elderly folks who were on our plane and the several other flights that got re-routed to Halifax. Like the man hooked up to medical equipment. Or the elderly woman, travelling alone, who was taken care of, not by the airline, but by a group of stranded Newfoundland women who shared their hotel room with her. And what of all the people who don’t travel much — who helped them navigate their way back on another plane to get home?
In the good old days, a customer service agent greeted you when flights were rerouted and helped rebook you on another flight. They even helped with hotels.
But the airline can’t afford to do these things anymore and pay retiring CEO Robert Milton — the guy who nearly drove the airline into the ground — a whopping $43 million last year and another $10 million after Air Canada’s parent company was dissolved.

Fuel fallacy
Tuesday morning, my husband, daughter and I trekked back to the airport for the second day in a row. On the way, we heard the news.
Air Canada had just announced it would be laying off another 2,000 people, downgrading its service further. The corporation blamed fuel for its woes. But fuel prices have nothing to do with service.
This is an airline unable to deal with anything but normal, and when you are in the airline business a large part of that business is dealing with the abnormal — bad weather, mechanical difficulties. But the airline is so stressed, every flight so maxed out or oversold, that there is no ability to deal with anything other than a perfect day.
The solution is for Ottawa to get back in the airline business. This industry needs regulation. People, passengers, should not be footing the bill because Air Canada bosses suck at their job and still get paid obscene amounts of money.

Lana Payne is a former journalist who is active in the labour movement. She can be reached by e-mail at lanapayne@nl.rogers.com.Her column returns July 6.

[Bank Angle]

Well said!

I don't know if re-regulation is the solution though. Maybe it would be better to just let a badly run corporation go bankrupt, as it should have gone many years ago, to hopefully have it replaced by one with a management that cares.

[C23flyer]

Well said!

I don't know if re-regulation is the solution though. Maybe it would be better to just let a badly run corporation go bankrupt, as it should have gone many years ago, to hopefully have it replaced by one with a management that cares.

+1

[square]

Is it that hard to raise ticket prices? And not with surcharges! Just up it. It shouldn't be cheaper to fly than to drive. It's already faster and safer, it doesn't have to be cheaper too. And I heard some stat that tickets are cheaper than they were in the 80s, with fuel costing 3 times as much? I wonder why they don't have the money to provide a service.. while 12 airlines go bankrupt every year. This is stupid.

[xsbank]

Well, I need to go to Toronna to the theatre district, from YUL, for one night, with my wife. Train costs (about) $300 for the cheap seats. Porter costs about $600 with the stinking, sh*tty taxes, plus there is cab-fare and the hotel for both of these options (not to mention the bullsh*t about getting to the airport, checking in, going through that mindless security sh*t with picture ID and not taking toothpaste or shaving soap or my Swiss Army knife with me, or wait an hour for my checked and battered luggage); and I could also drive, about 5-6 hours each way. How do you think I will go? How do you think I would LIKE to go?

This is not company travel so I will not be reimbursed.

All you guys who advocate higher fares, ask yourself why the taxes are higher than the fares and then ask if the taxes are negotiable, say on a slow Tuesday when nobody is going anywhere? Baaaaa.

There are just so many people who can afford to fly - I used to be able to go home for Xmas each year to see my family, but with $2500 fares for 2 this winter, that just won't happen. If you raise fares so that the survivors are viable, there will also be less of them and a significant number of you airline guys will be looking for work offshore.

If you figure out the solution, let us all know, will you?

[mduffy]

Well said!

I don't know if re-regulation is the solution though. Maybe it would be better to just let a badly run corporation go bankrupt, as it should have gone many years ago, to hopefully have it replaced by one with a management that cares.

+1

Has any airline in North America ever demonstrated the ability to effectively manage itself?

[E-Flyer]

Is it that hard to raise ticket prices? And not with surcharges! Just up it. It shouldn't be cheaper to fly than to drive. It's already faster and safer, it doesn't have to be cheaper too. And I heard some stat that tickets are cheaper than they were in the 80s, with fuel costing 3 times as much? I wonder why they don't have the money to provide a service.. while 12 airlines go bankrupt every year. This is stupid.

But it has become such practical method to fly now and people will complain if prices go up and probably end up not flying. They'll just drive their hybrids.

[Hedley]

Air Canada bosses suck at their job and still get paid obscene amounts of money

Not sure why anyone would want to work at such a dysfunctional company.

Regardless, commercial flight - especially in Canada - is a truly horrible
experience for many reasons, and is to be avoided at all costs.

If there is any other reasonable alternative - train, car, etc - it is
almost always preferable (for many reasons) than flying commercially.

But when there is no reasonable alternative ...

A couple months back, had to get a pilot back to Florida. A next-day
ticket out of Ottawa was $1300, one-way, on our flag carrier. From
Syracuse, it was $300. No typo - a THOUSAND DOLLAR SAVINGS
by simply crossing the border, and getting away from Air Canada.

Guess which one we chose? Should I apologize for not contributing
to Bobby Milton's next ten million dollar bonus?

[. .]

Syracuse is quite a bloody drive from Toronto Hedly. I wonder how much you could have saved to have just flown the pilot to Atlanta, or perhaps Raleigh. Give me a break dude.

[Hedley]

Syracuse is quite a bloody drive from Toronto

**** NEWS FLASH ****

There are parts of Canada outside of Toronto, including
where I live, just southwest of Ottawa.

I just jumped in the C421B, flew to Syracuse in under
an hour, dropped off the pax, and then back home again.

And it sure as heck didn't cost us $1000 to fly the 421 to
Syracuse and back again!

It's always nice to not fly commercially, especially not on
the People's Republic of Canada flag carrier.

[. .]

If only everyone had a 421 in their garage that they could take out on trips like this.

[yycflyguy]

Began with deregulation
Air Canada’s fall started with the deregulation and privatization of the airline industry — policies that have failed the air-travelling public, and policies that were denounced by the workers at Air Canada.
These same policies have made the men running Air Canada over the past decade filthy rich.

Why do I get the feeling she would be the first to complain about any ticket price increases.

[Hedley]

If only everyone had a 421

It's not that far a drive to the US border, either. Take a
look at a map of Canada sometime - isn't 90% of the
population within 50 miles of the border, or something
like that?

I drive to the US all the time, too. Most people have
a car (or access to one). Driving to Syracuse is quite
a reasonable option, too - when the alternative is putting
$1000 in Bobby Milton's back pocket!

Speaking of driving ... not too long ago, I needed 4
tires for the car. Looking at www.tirerack.com they
were US$72 each. Ordered 4 to the UPS store in
Ogdensburg, which I can drive to and from before
breakfast (did recently, actually).

I put the 4 tires on. Couple weeks later, got a nail
in the right rear. Sigh. At the Canadian Goodyear
dealer, they told me they couldn't repair it (too close
to the sidewall) so I had to buy a new one for $190
installed. We checked the numbers on the side of
the tire, they were the same lot as the $72 tires.

So, I can pay $72 (uninstalled) in the US, or $190
(installed) in the People's Republic of Canada.

Which one of those is the best deal?

All you have to do, to get the good price, is
drive across the border. Just like avoiding
Air Canada.

[. .]

Hedly: Please move to the USA, absolutely everything is better there. We're all crazy to live in Canada.

You'll be sorely missed.

[complexintentions]

Selective arguments are kinda stupid and simplistic and hardly worth refuting. Seems like an excuse just to rant. Love how the people bitching never quite leave.

[yyz monkey]

Not sure why anyone would want to work at such a dysfunctional company.

I went in thinking that, since they had been through CCAA, all the proverbial ducks would be neatly arranged.

Boy was I ever wrong

So, now I'm off and looking for Flight Operations jobs, so I can get out before the layoffs begin. If that plan doesn't work and I do get laid off, I've been thinking about going back to school and becoming an avionics tech.

But I'm never going back there again.

[Hedley]

We're all crazy to live in Canada

Not sure about that, but I think you're crazy to pay Air
Canada $1300 for an Ottawa-Florida ticket, when you
can get a Syracuse-Florida ticket for $300.

And I think you're crazy to pay $190 for a tire that costs $72.

But maybe that's just a personality flaw of mine.

Now, can you explain in detail why you think I should have
bought the $1300 "Bobby Milton Bonus" ticket, or the $190 tire?

[. .]

Hedley: People pay for convenience if you haven't figured that out yet. As I mentioned before, certainly you could have flown from Florida to Atlanta or Raleigh, maybe even Washington for $200. At some point people will pay more rather than inconvenience themselves. Most people don't want to fly to SYR, and then rent a car only to drive hours, and then sit in gridlock waiting to cross the boarder. On top of that, with all the hurricane activity down there I'm sure the flights are full with lots of Canadians wanting to get back home, obviously less people want to get back to Syracuse. I'm sure you've seen the adds that AC and WJ run all winter long for $100-300 tickets down to all places in Florida.

I realize using rational thought would hinder your ability to be a mouth piece on here, so I'm sure I'm wasting my time.

[Cat Driver]

I just got back from a trip to Oshkosh and Toronto in the new Husky.

The service at every American FBO was excellent to superb including most of them even cleaned our windshield after they finished fueling the airplane. And we either used a courtesy car at the FBO's or the hotels had courtesy cars.....The hotel costs were usually less than $100.00.

In Canada we felt like we were some sort of communicable disease judjing by the way the FBO's treated us.......however after flying in the USA for a couple of weeks Lethbridge did not let us down because there was almost zero service from the FBO and when we finally found a hotel room the cab fare was $30.00 each way and the room was $185.00 for the night...and the food cost us over twice what had been paying in the USA.

So am I wrong to prefer flying in the USA?

[Hedley]

People pay for convenience

Do you buy all your groceries at the corner store?

If not, why not?

wrong to prefer flying in the USA?

No, but if you ever dare to mention that there are
problems in Canada that need fixing, you will be
attacked by left-wing idiots who are in complete
denial of reality. You know, the children of Trudeau.

[Cat Driver]

Hedley, governments like religions keep their flock in a tight group through brain washing.....the social engineers in the Canadian schools and the media have done a great job.

But I will admit they don't program the population to strap explosives on their bodies and kill those who are not true believers.

[. .]

Cat and Hedley, you two should think about moving down to the states together, San Francisco Maybe?. Seriously buy a place together, you two are the perfect couple. You share so much common ground! Just think of the moonlight walks down the beach chatting about your hate for TC. The tender moments on sunday morning talking about how amazing you guys are as pilots. It's a match made in heaven.

[Siddley Hawker]

So, I can pay $72 (uninstalled) in the US, or $190
(installed) in the People's Republic of Canada.

Geez Hedley, someone's gotta pay for the free health care.

[Cat Driver]

Thanks for the suggestion Endless, however I have managed to arrange my life so as to be able to enjoy it and one of the best places on earth to enjoy life is on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Yesterday I was out sailing and here is a picture I took heading back to my summer home with the sails down and using the engine rather than sail into the wind.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e353/ ... C00240.jpg

I understand you do not especially approve of people like Hedley and me but we do pay into your socialistic system so we have as much right to live here as you do.

Cheer up endless maybe some day you will have saved enough money to be able to afford to choose what you do.

By the way as to your comments about TC, send me your address and I'll send you a case of KY so you can really enjoy working under your beloved regulator.

[Steve Baker]

I feel the original posters pain, I really do. I don't know if regulation would help, it goes against my core beliefs, but I really don't know.

I agree with a lot of what Headly and Cat are saying. FBO service in the US is miles ahead of what you get in Canada. In fact most service based experiences are superior in the US. Prices for many things are also lower there. There is no doubt that their system gives a greater reward to those with a higher income than the Canadian one. Our tax system places a tremendous burden on the wealthy and to a degree the middle class.

The one thing that people don't understand is that the travelling experience on Air Canada is one of the best on offer from a North American airline. Canadians love to complain about Air Canada and laud West Jet. They should try flying on American or US Air and then come back here and share their experiences. I recently did recurrent in Miami. Air Canada's frequency to Miami is poor, so we normally fly AA. I have just checked the price and it is within a few dollars of Air Canada and the service experience is infinitely worse. Pay for your first checked bag, minimal beverage service. Buy on board food that is more expensive than the AC equivalent, tighter seat pitch, narrower seats and antiquated IFE.

My brother travels frequently to the States and Europe on buisness, he has comented that Air Canada economy class is superior to US Air buisness class. I have dead headed on West Jet. The cabin crew are plesant but, so are the majority of Air Canada people I have dealt with. The seat back TV is substantially inferior to the new Air Canada entertainment system. The seat pitch is less than on Air Canada's 320 and Embraers, the seats are narrower too.

Of course Air Canada has problems, every airline does. Are some of their people disagreeable? Of course. Are some of those 767 and 330 interiors clapped out? You bet. Are their management nice helpful human beings? Not at all, they are buisnessmen looking out for their own interests, aren't you?