Is this industry standard?

[bandaid]

This is to confirm that we have received your correspondence and there is no requirement to re-submit your information. Our current processing time is 15 business days for general customer concerns, 10 business days for baggage related issues and up to 4 weeks for baggage tracing. We will make every effort to respond sooner.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as you await our response.
____________________________________________________________________________
This is from Air (Can't make it) Canada.
My wife flies frequently for work. This time AC left her stranded at the airport in New York for 15 hours (maintenace issues happen but this is unacceptable). Several times during the day they were told that they had a flight for them but none panned out. They decided they were going to over night her again in New York, sent her to the hotel but when she got there it was all booked and that AC was told this, back to the airport just in time to pick up a flight to Toronto. No time for supper before the flight and none offered on the flight and arrives in Toronto at 2300 hrs. I thought that the Star Alliance affiliation was there for the benefit of AC passengers, you would think they could have at least got her to Vancouver with another airline, she could have been home for breakfast.
This has not been a banner trip for my wife and her co-worker. On the trip down her co-workers luggage is lost, on the trip back both were left stranded in New York. The trip is still not over and this costs her business money. This is the second time in recent memory that AC has made my wife's trip a nightmare. Between her as COO of the company and her employees they probably make 50 or more flights a year. A woman who already works 50+ hours a week does not need to spend anymore time away from home than she does.
Sorry about the rant, I'm a little pissed off.

[Expat]

She is not alone...
Sh*t happens...to anyone flying often. I would have a few rants too... involving visas and expensive one way tickets bought at the counter...lost luggage...dead passengers... tsunamies...diversions...weather...breakdowns...

[bandaid]

I get that. No problem. It is the response that is not acceptable. Are you going to honestly tell me that there was no way to get her out of New York to anywhere west within that time frame with another of the Star Alliance carriers? I assume New York is kind of a busy airport, planes coming and going a couple of times a day. Might even have one or two heading west. One plane has issues and it stops her dead in her tracks in what I would have to believe is one of the busiest airports in north america, but hey, they will get back to me within 15 business days??????

[Expat]

In all my travels, there is one place I managed to stay away from, and it is NY.

[bandaid]

She has been there a number of times without incident with other airlines. Seems the only time her travel becomes a nightmare is when she travels AC. I guess I just expect too much out of the biggest carrier in Canada. They should move there head offices to Disney land.

[Heliian]

Yup, that's AC for ya, the people CAN be nice but their policies absolutely suck. They've lost my baggage on several occasions but it usually gets delivered right to your door as soon as practical, not bad there. When it comes to cancelled flights, as soon as you think it's going to be more than a couple of hours, if you wait too long you'll be fighting for a room. Get them to switch you to the next day's flight and spend the night in a hotel. You'll have to pay for the hotel but it's a heck of a lot more relaxing than waiting at some smelly airport for 15 hrs. In NY?, go see a show. This happens on all airlines and getting mad about it won't help the situation. It seems that airport counter employees are trained in passive resistance, the more you push them, the more they don't move. I got stuck in Newark overnight once, that sucked but the hotel had free porn channels.

Cheers,

I

[trey kule]

Ah, but you must look at the positive side..All the air canada employees in New York can speak French. Does that not more than compensate for the lack of service?

Anyone who flies alot nowadays can be expected to be treated in a similar manner by pretty much every airline. After all , they have got us to accept so many fees, surcharges, etc, that they think they can pretty much do anything they want...And they are right.
Proof...bandaid..What have you done about it except complain on here? Did you write Air Canada and complain about their self setting time to act? About the letter itself? Did you write your MP...yes your MP.With Air Canada's head office enacted by parliament to be in Quebec you may expect your MP to help. Better businees bureau?
Has your wife decided to never fly with them again...money talks.

[bandaid]

I have put my thoughts and complaint forward on their website that deals with concerns and the standard forum email is what I have in return. I would love to talk to someone personally but I can't find a number in all the websites for Aircanada. Our MP just resigned as a MP and I don't think he is terribly motivated to take on anything right now. So I guess I will wait my 15 or so days to get a response and hopefully it comes with a phone number where I can talk to someone besides a computer. I am not the kind of person that sits there and takes it. The whole story on what transpired here is too long to print, suffice to say they were treated poorly.

[trey kule]

Good on you. And I mean that seriously. If people take action (and stop using whatever company's services), things will change..even if it means the company goes broke again.

[Cat Driver]

The bigger the organization the more difficult it becomes to communicate with them Bandaid.

I am having a very difficult time with a credit card company over air miles.

Pene and I had a credit card that gave us a deal on air miles.

When she passed away they canceled not only the card which was also in my name but they canceled 182,403 air miles enough for two people to fly to Australia and back,,,,,which we had saved them for.

So how do they justify that?

[bandaid]

Good on you. And I mean that seriously. If people take action (and stop using whatever company's services), things will change..even if it means the company goes broke again.

And the worse thing that will happen is a couple of higher ups will lose there job and we will bail out our "National carrier" again. All I want is an answer as to what went wrong plain and simple.

[I WAS Birddog]

Losing bags feels like being held hostage away from your belongings. 15 hour delay in North America under normal operating conditions...should be a crime. I'm sure the cattle cars in Germany during WW2 were more efficient.

I take carry on a bag...and I don't fly AC. If I have bags to ship...I FEDEX them. They get there before I do and deliever it to my hotel room.

The World On Time THAT'S THE PURPLE PROMISE

Relax...it's FedEX

Glad to hear she's back now.

[Golden Pilot]

Quit yer belly-aching Bandaid, There were no delays at JFK, she was with me, Dinner out, a show, some drinks.....

Good luck with AC. I have a great story from their superior customer service also. I'd sooner book Greyhound on my next trip than endure another AC adventure.

[Beefitarian]

I guess I just expect too much out of the biggest carrier in Canada. They should move there head offices to Disney land.

Me too.

To answer the question in the title. "Pretty much."

[bandaid]

Another stellar day for AC. My wife had business in Vancouver today. One leg, should be no problem. What was already a long day turns into 19 1/2 hours. Are you flying such junk that nothing works or is it perhaps labour related????? Sorry guys, but the last two times she has flown in the last two weeks has been AC and the performance has been abysmal.

[BEFAN5]

Interesting.

It seems it really just depends on the day. I always thought WJ was stellar for their on time performance, and reliability. But as they have been growing, I have noticed that slowly crumbling away.

I flew with them last week (AC wasn't looking good for standby). My outbound flight was 2 hours late. Then my connection in YYC was a further 1.5 hours late. I was a wreck by the time I got to YVR at 12:00am, hours late, and the time change to boot.

Air Canada treats me like gold every time I fly with them. They have even got me home 15 minutes early, 3 out of my last 4 trips.

It is the business. I got stuck in YYZ customs hall one night for an hour because there was an incident with some baggage belts. All the passengers were spitting and fuming. Really people. Calm down. It happens. The poor 18 year old gate agent can't help you, or make the problem go away.

The only time you can guarantee your flight will be on time, is if it is the FIRST flight of the day (aka 5:15am) and there are clear skies.

[bcflyer]

Another stellar day for AC. My wife had business in Vancouver today. One leg, should be no problem. What was already a long day turns into 19 1/2 hours. Are you flying such junk that nothing works or is it perhaps labour related????? Sorry guys, but the last two times she has flown in the last two weeks has been AC and the performance has been abysmal.

I'd like to hear the details of that flight. 19 1/2 hrs to get to Vancouver? From where? I know there are challenges when spring break is in full spring but that sounds pretty excessive to me...

[warbirdpilot7]

Interesting.

It seems it really just depends on the day. I always thought WJ was stellar for their on time performance, and reliability. But as they have been growing, I have noticed that slowly crumbling away.

I flew with them last week (AC wasn't looking good for standby). My outbound flight was 2 hours late. Then my connection in YYC was a further 1.5 hours late. I was a wreck by the time I got to YVR at 12:00am, hours late, and the time change to boot.

Air Canada treats me like gold every time I fly with them. They have even got me home 15 minutes early, 3 out of my last 4 trips.

It is the business. I got stuck in YYZ customs hall one night for an hour because there was an incident with some baggage belts. All the passengers were spitting and fuming. Really people. Calm down. It happens. The poor 18 year old gate agent can't help you, or make the problem go away.

The only time you can guarantee your flight will be on time, is if it is the FIRST flight of the day (aka 5:15am) and there are clear skies.

And it's also not the 18 year olds fault at the gas station that the prices are ballooning out of control.

Problem is, we need gas, we need to get from point A to point B, so thats the way it is in Canada...Not too much to choose from in either case

[bandaid]

Another stellar day for AC. My wife had business in Vancouver today. One leg, should be no problem. What was already a long day turns into 19 1/2 hours. Are you flying such junk that nothing works or is it perhaps labour related????? Sorry guys, but the last two times she has flown in the last two weeks has been AC and the performance has been abysmal.

I'd like to hear the details of that flight. 19 1/2 hrs to get to Vancouver? From where? I know there are challenges when spring break is in full spring but that sounds pretty excessive to me...

Read my profile.
It wasn't a 19 1/2 delay but it did turn her work day into that with a 5+ hour wait at the airport for something air worthy to fly her home.

[bcflyer]

OK so reading your profile would indicate you live in Kelowna so I'm assuming she did one leg either from or to YLW. Most of the flights going there are Jazz flights. I believe AC does 2 a day right now. Was it an AC flight that got cancelled or a Jazz flight?