Parents everywhere, don't fly with Air Canada!!
Oct 12th, 2007, 08:32 PM
#21
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I'm so tired of the Air Canada bashing for one reason or another but this is just ridiculous. I have flown AC numerous times mainly to L.A or Hawaii out of Calgary and I've never had a problem with the service but what I do have a problem with is parents travelling with their babies/children and everything but the kitchen sink! I'm a parent of two boys and I never asked for a free seat but I've witnessed parents of babies demanding just this before boarding. Like a previous post stated after the flight has taken off, if there is empty seats you'd most likely be to use them. As I have witnessed on many AC flights people moving to empty seats with the flight attendants approval after the flight is in the air.
Next time fly Westjet if they give free seats away to parents!! No sympathy here! Oh, and as a parent I will still fly Air Canada!
Next time fly Westjet if they give free seats away to parents!! No sympathy here! Oh, and as a parent I will still fly Air Canada!
Oct 13th, 2007, 08:14 PM
#22
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We flew Air Canada on our family trip from Los Angeles to Edmonton and home a few years ago when our boys were 1 1/2, 3 and 5 and had a wonderful experience.
I purchased seats for each child and we were treated wonderfully. We didn't bring a car seat (had reserved one with the rental car) but DID bring a regular umbrella stroller which was no problem to check at the gate.
You sure assumed a lot would be taken care of for you "when you got there."
As a parent, I think that's not good planning. Travel with kids can be dicey enough without relying on "freebie" from businesses.
I purchased seats for each child and we were treated wonderfully. We didn't bring a car seat (had reserved one with the rental car) but DID bring a regular umbrella stroller which was no problem to check at the gate.
You sure assumed a lot would be taken care of for you "when you got there."
As a parent, I think that's not good planning. Travel with kids can be dicey enough without relying on "freebie" from businesses.
Oct 25th, 2007, 08:42 PM
#23
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I've traveled with my son since he was 6 months old all over the U.S. and Caribbean. When he was very young, I sometimes wouldn't purchase him a seat, but was always offered one if it was available. And $2 for a pillow? I've never, ever, paid for a pillow on a flight.
My son is still young enough that I remember how difficult it is traveling with an infant. Cut Mitmap a break here.
My son is still young enough that I remember how difficult it is traveling with an infant. Cut Mitmap a break here.
Oct 26th, 2007, 06:20 PM
#25
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Well, let's be fair both ways. The OP felt that AirCanada "threw EVERY obstacle at us" when the reality is that AirCanada didn't do anything outrageous.
1. They wouldn't give her a seat at check in for the baby - she did not pay for a seat for the baby. They did tell her that if there were empty seats after take off, she was welcome to use one for the baby. Is that really an obstacle? Is that really outrageous? Would it have been less outrageous to give her a seat at check in and then have a group of passengers get rerouted through this flight and have to tell one "sorry, we don't have a seat for you - even though you've paid for one - because we gave it to this lady who didn't pay for it"?
2. They wouldn't let her carry a car seat on board because she didn't have a confirmed seat for it. Why would they? It's oversized and won't fit in the overhead or under the seat. So, if they did fill up the flight at the last minute (maybe another flight had problems and they had to reroute people to this flight?), that carseat would be sitting in the aisle. Again, is that really an obstacle? Is it really outrageous?
3. They offered to sell her a pillow and blanket set for $2 - just like they offer to EVERY OTHER passenger. The airline no longer supplies real pillows and blankets for passenger use (at least on domestic flights). They now ONLY offer to sell a plastic blow-up pillow and travel blanket combo to passengers for $2. There are no blankets or pillows maintained on the planes anymore except these "for sale" packages. How were they to give her what she wanted when it didn't exist on the plane?
1. They wouldn't give her a seat at check in for the baby - she did not pay for a seat for the baby. They did tell her that if there were empty seats after take off, she was welcome to use one for the baby. Is that really an obstacle? Is that really outrageous? Would it have been less outrageous to give her a seat at check in and then have a group of passengers get rerouted through this flight and have to tell one "sorry, we don't have a seat for you - even though you've paid for one - because we gave it to this lady who didn't pay for it"?
2. They wouldn't let her carry a car seat on board because she didn't have a confirmed seat for it. Why would they? It's oversized and won't fit in the overhead or under the seat. So, if they did fill up the flight at the last minute (maybe another flight had problems and they had to reroute people to this flight?), that carseat would be sitting in the aisle. Again, is that really an obstacle? Is it really outrageous?
3. They offered to sell her a pillow and blanket set for $2 - just like they offer to EVERY OTHER passenger. The airline no longer supplies real pillows and blankets for passenger use (at least on domestic flights). They now ONLY offer to sell a plastic blow-up pillow and travel blanket combo to passengers for $2. There are no blankets or pillows maintained on the planes anymore except these "for sale" packages. How were they to give her what she wanted when it didn't exist on the plane?
Nov 3rd, 2007, 09:49 AM
#29
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Well I have to comment. Having flown Air Canada and many other airlines for years, I do believe that the corporate culture at Air Canada really needs work. Westjet employees will do whatever they can to make your trip more pleasant. Air Canada - not so much.
Nov 3rd, 2007, 11:02 AM
#30
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Galiano, speaking of Westjet can you explain their current TV ad?..."Why do Westjetters care so much? Because they are Westjet owners too?" I don't get it. Do they give you a share of Westjet stock everytime you fly or what???LOL 
Nov 3rd, 2007, 07:10 PM
#31
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wow, "Westjetter" is Westjet speak for employee. Westjet employees can convert up to 20% of their salary into stock, which they can buy at half price. 90% of Westjetters own stock in the company.
I like the Westjet ad about the guy who leaves his power point presentation on the plane and when he arrives at his meeting, the flight attendant is already there, has modified his presentation, set it up and ordered lunch.
I don't like the one where the Dork family arrives back from their tropical vacation improperly dressed for wintery weather and the Westjetters give them their uniform jackets to stay warm on the tarmac. In this case, I would prefer the Air Canada approach of letting them freeze to death, thus improving the human gene pool.
I like the Westjet ad about the guy who leaves his power point presentation on the plane and when he arrives at his meeting, the flight attendant is already there, has modified his presentation, set it up and ordered lunch.
I don't like the one where the Dork family arrives back from their tropical vacation improperly dressed for wintery weather and the Westjetters give them their uniform jackets to stay warm on the tarmac. In this case, I would prefer the Air Canada approach of letting them freeze to death, thus improving the human gene pool.
Nov 4th, 2007, 08:05 PM
#33
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Just check out the new stroller policy!!! Here is the link http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...ant-child.html. Basically you can bring an umbrella stroller and that is it. Every other stroller must be checked through and it counts as one piece of baggage! They won't bring your stroller up if you have a stop over, either. They used to bring it up for you. Can you imagine a 4 hour stopover with no where for your baby to sleep - NOT good! Umbrella strollers don't work for young babies anyway and what if you have two kids. If you check your expensive stroller through - damage would be a major concern. You're best off renting from a baby equipment rental company at your destination. At least you'll have a nice, clean usable stroller for your stay. Apparently West Jet will be picking up lots of business!!
Nov 4th, 2007, 08:07 PM
#34
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ust check out the new stroller policy!!! Here is the link http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...ant-child.html. Basically you can bring an umbrella stroller and that is it. Every other stroller must be checked through and it counts as one piece of baggage! They won't bring your stroller up if you have a stop over, either. They used to bring it up for you. Can you imagine a 4 hour stopover with no where for your baby to sleep - NOT good! Umbrella strollers don't work for young babies anyway and what if you have two kids. If you check your expensive stroller through - damage would be a major concern. You're best off renting from a baby equipment rental company at your destination. At least you'll have a nice, clean usable stroller for your stay. Apparently West Jet will be picking up lots of business!!
Nov 5th, 2007, 06:40 AM
#36
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I come home from the south looking like that all the time! Why dress in warm clothes when it is 100 degrees out. We just cnange when we get our luggage.
As for the original topic of discussion. I am not sure why people who travel with small children think that every business and person out there should bend over backwards for them??
I have travelled all over the world with my 4 kids from the time they were little and in strollers. It is a lot of work to travel with kids, but it is my choice to do so and I do not expect to be catered to because of it.
If your big awkward siaze car seat and stroller have to be checked than that is reality - figure something else out, you know before you head to the airport these are the rules.
The airlines policies are printed on their websites - read them and if you do not agree with them do not book a flight with that company and then come on here and complain later.
And if you wanted your baby to have a seat - buy one!
As for the original topic of discussion. I am not sure why people who travel with small children think that every business and person out there should bend over backwards for them??
I have travelled all over the world with my 4 kids from the time they were little and in strollers. It is a lot of work to travel with kids, but it is my choice to do so and I do not expect to be catered to because of it.
If your big awkward siaze car seat and stroller have to be checked than that is reality - figure something else out, you know before you head to the airport these are the rules.
The airlines policies are printed on their websites - read them and if you do not agree with them do not book a flight with that company and then come on here and complain later.
And if you wanted your baby to have a seat - buy one!
Nov 6th, 2007, 09:38 AM
#37
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I will be one of the few to offer support to the original post. We had a horrible experience flying with air canada to Australia last spring. It was also partly our travel agent's fault. We were told we could get a bassinet for our baby, but that the bulkhead seats needed for that weren't allocated until 24 hours prior to departure. When we went to the airport the day before we were told all the bulkhead seats were taken by priority flyers and we were out of luck. The whole reason we did not buy a seat for our daughter was because we were told we would get a bassinet. I understand giving priority flyers first dibs on seats, but these are the only seats bassinets work with. And had we known we didn't have a chance in hell of getting one, we would have bought a seat and brought the car seat along. And our experience was that at every point people were pushing us off on the next person. The gate person in London said check in Toronto, there they said check with the flight attendant, then check in Vancouver, etc...
I think the AC just bought new planes for the Vancouver-Sydney route, but in Feb/March we were on very small, old planes that I would expect on short to medium length flights.
And as far as strollers go, I think it would make travel very difficult for us if we could not have our stroller at our connections. By the way, we have a very light weight umbrella style stroller. Coming from London, we always have connections, and getting around with a 25 pound kid in a snuggli isn't very practical.
Luckily for us, we can fly NWA out of London. They have their problems for sure, but at least we get our stroller.
I think the AC just bought new planes for the Vancouver-Sydney route, but in Feb/March we were on very small, old planes that I would expect on short to medium length flights.
And as far as strollers go, I think it would make travel very difficult for us if we could not have our stroller at our connections. By the way, we have a very light weight umbrella style stroller. Coming from London, we always have connections, and getting around with a 25 pound kid in a snuggli isn't very practical.
Luckily for us, we can fly NWA out of London. They have their problems for sure, but at least we get our stroller.
Nov 10th, 2007, 08:48 AM
#38
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Good morning Mitmap:
I say good morning because I woke up a long long time ago that Air Canada seem to go out of their way to be miserable. Not always but more often than not. Seems that there are still people who have not yet become awake.
Given the option, I will always fly WestJet over Air Canada.
Incidents of rudeness, poor service and downright miserable staff abound within Air Canada.
Irony, one time my wife and I flew Edmonton/Montreal return. We had many points and used some for this trip. As non paying passengers we were surprised to get good service with polite staff. This was a rarity. When paying, staff more than once told us, "That's not my job." when asked to book us in because the e-mail ticket failed to process properly, other similar incidents as well.
Points. Near useless. Try claiming. Okay if you have lots of time to get telephone ear.
That all passengers are charged $2.00 for a pillow does not make it a good way to treat people. Next they will want to charge for the seat. Oh, sorry they do that too now don't they? Try advance seat selection and see if you are charged. My wife was once charged $1.00 for water so she could take a pill.
What about the now excellent food choice? Wendy's or MacDonalds of the sky.
However, the air line are not alone to bear the blame.
Going back many years, Canada has had restrictions on people coming here to live. Commonwealth people were welcome ... all others need not apply. That was the standing rule.
Less people equate to less of everything including competition. Less population means less people to buy shoes, sweaters, beef, dental service and everything else that we consume and enjoy. Less purchases mean less productivity and as we see, less competition.
Less people mean basic costs will be higher with fewer people to cover the cost. Less people also mean less clout. Let Canada try pulling an "Arar" on the US like they did to Canada.
Do we enjoy paying the rediculesly higher'Canadian' prices for books when our dollar is equal to about $0.97US? ... and the book is printed in China!
Less people also means reduced influence from other cultures. Less paellia, less snitzel, less marimba music, less lamb [as was the case until recently] and less of all the other good things people of different cultures have evolved over time.
So now we live with it.
Get used to more of Air Canada style of 'services'.
Woodie
I say good morning because I woke up a long long time ago that Air Canada seem to go out of their way to be miserable. Not always but more often than not. Seems that there are still people who have not yet become awake.
Given the option, I will always fly WestJet over Air Canada.
Incidents of rudeness, poor service and downright miserable staff abound within Air Canada.
Irony, one time my wife and I flew Edmonton/Montreal return. We had many points and used some for this trip. As non paying passengers we were surprised to get good service with polite staff. This was a rarity. When paying, staff more than once told us, "That's not my job." when asked to book us in because the e-mail ticket failed to process properly, other similar incidents as well.
Points. Near useless. Try claiming. Okay if you have lots of time to get telephone ear.
That all passengers are charged $2.00 for a pillow does not make it a good way to treat people. Next they will want to charge for the seat. Oh, sorry they do that too now don't they? Try advance seat selection and see if you are charged. My wife was once charged $1.00 for water so she could take a pill.
What about the now excellent food choice? Wendy's or MacDonalds of the sky.
However, the air line are not alone to bear the blame.
Going back many years, Canada has had restrictions on people coming here to live. Commonwealth people were welcome ... all others need not apply. That was the standing rule.
Less people equate to less of everything including competition. Less population means less people to buy shoes, sweaters, beef, dental service and everything else that we consume and enjoy. Less purchases mean less productivity and as we see, less competition.
Less people mean basic costs will be higher with fewer people to cover the cost. Less people also mean less clout. Let Canada try pulling an "Arar" on the US like they did to Canada.
Do we enjoy paying the rediculesly higher'Canadian' prices for books when our dollar is equal to about $0.97US? ... and the book is printed in China!
Less people also means reduced influence from other cultures. Less paellia, less snitzel, less marimba music, less lamb [as was the case until recently] and less of all the other good things people of different cultures have evolved over time.
So now we live with it.
Get used to more of Air Canada style of 'services'.
Woodie
Nov 10th, 2007, 12:18 PM
#39
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Woodie
Your comments that you received good service when you "paid" for your ticket versus using points is confusing, by the time you reach the airport whether it be with an electronic ticket or paper, there is no indication as to whether you used points or not. You used the term " non paying", I will take the liberty of pointing out that every point you used was paid for by a purchase you made somewhere or other, so in fact it was not a "free" seat. Secondly, your comment that points are almost useless is patently ridiculous, my husband and I fly ONLY using air miles accumulated through aeroplan, we fly frequently throughout the year and have never had any problem using the points or getting seats. Yes there is often a wait on the phone to reach a customer service representative but try calling Bell Canada or any Government service. I'm offended by your comment that those of us who enjoy flying Air Canada have not yet awoken. "Enough said!! Further on you make the statement that "next they will want to charge for the seat", if anything else you said is absolutely ridiculous that comment was just plain stupid. And even those people who hate Air Canada will agree that your claim that they charged your wife a dollar for water to take a pill is an outrageous lie at best. I sincerely hope you do fly Westjet because the thought of spending any amount of time on an airplane with you is enough to keep me out of the air for good. As for the rest of your post, I will not dignify it with a response, it makes no sense, has nothing to do with this thread and in fact you come off sounding like a lunatic.
Your comments that you received good service when you "paid" for your ticket versus using points is confusing, by the time you reach the airport whether it be with an electronic ticket or paper, there is no indication as to whether you used points or not. You used the term " non paying", I will take the liberty of pointing out that every point you used was paid for by a purchase you made somewhere or other, so in fact it was not a "free" seat. Secondly, your comment that points are almost useless is patently ridiculous, my husband and I fly ONLY using air miles accumulated through aeroplan, we fly frequently throughout the year and have never had any problem using the points or getting seats. Yes there is often a wait on the phone to reach a customer service representative but try calling Bell Canada or any Government service. I'm offended by your comment that those of us who enjoy flying Air Canada have not yet awoken. "Enough said!! Further on you make the statement that "next they will want to charge for the seat", if anything else you said is absolutely ridiculous that comment was just plain stupid. And even those people who hate Air Canada will agree that your claim that they charged your wife a dollar for water to take a pill is an outrageous lie at best. I sincerely hope you do fly Westjet because the thought of spending any amount of time on an airplane with you is enough to keep me out of the air for good. As for the rest of your post, I will not dignify it with a response, it makes no sense, has nothing to do with this thread and in fact you come off sounding like a lunatic.
Nov 11th, 2007, 07:18 AM
#40
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soclwrkr:
Well good morning to you too and also have a good day.
On Air Canada my wife was indeed charge and she did pay for the water she needed for her medication.
But not to worry, I fly Air Canada ONLY when I have no other choice that fits with my travel plan, so go ahead and fly with them.
I certainly do not want to deprive you of that pleasure.
I NEVER buy points. I buy goods and services. If points come along they are there.
My first consideration is, "Am I getting what I want to buy." That means travel at times and for durations that I prefer. I then make the choice that suits me best. I do not look for the points.
Because my travel experience with Air Canada has certainly been among the worst ever, I express that opinion.
Your personal comments on my character are totally out of order and uncalled for. Does that action make you feel better? I will not stoop so low to express my opinion of you. I am not a liar and you obviously misjudge easily so why would you be correct about Air Canada?
Air Canada largely prosper because there is limited other choice for many Canadians.
While I do fly Air Canada when I have no better choice, should open skies come to fully exist, I expect that their service and profits will vastly change.
Do you have shares with them? If so, too bad.
Woodie
Well good morning to you too and also have a good day.
On Air Canada my wife was indeed charge and she did pay for the water she needed for her medication.
But not to worry, I fly Air Canada ONLY when I have no other choice that fits with my travel plan, so go ahead and fly with them.
I certainly do not want to deprive you of that pleasure.
I NEVER buy points. I buy goods and services. If points come along they are there.
My first consideration is, "Am I getting what I want to buy." That means travel at times and for durations that I prefer. I then make the choice that suits me best. I do not look for the points.
Because my travel experience with Air Canada has certainly been among the worst ever, I express that opinion.
Your personal comments on my character are totally out of order and uncalled for. Does that action make you feel better? I will not stoop so low to express my opinion of you. I am not a liar and you obviously misjudge easily so why would you be correct about Air Canada?
Air Canada largely prosper because there is limited other choice for many Canadians.
While I do fly Air Canada when I have no better choice, should open skies come to fully exist, I expect that their service and profits will vastly change.
Do you have shares with them? If so, too bad.
Woodie
