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Air Canada doesn’t want my business

August 13th, 2008 Posted in Rant

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So I was surfing today, and I came across Darren Cronian’s Travel-Rants blog. Love the concept.

Now I mentioned in a previous post that I don’t have good luck with airports. Rather, I spent more quality time in them than I like. And the last time I was in one, I put in some serious bonding time.

Inspired by Darren’s blog, I’m going to rant about this last experience.

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Being Canadian and all, I like the idea of flying Air Canada. I mean, they’ve got me for the miles already, it’s a Canadian airline…I’m often GOING to Canada….so why not?

On this fine occasion, I’m on a visit up to Vancouver to see GeckoGo-Aaron & other friends. Being the organized person that I am, I booked my trip up up to Vancouver fine, but ahem, forgot to book my return ticket to San Francisco. So it was bad enough as a start when I realize this oversight and am in panic mode trying to book my return flight uber last minute.

In the middle of this self-induced heart-attack state, I luckily find a last minute deal with Air Canada for only $200 more than I would have paid if I was on top of things and had booked on time. Ok Pokin, you messed this one up. Suck it up, pay the fee, and go on your way. I note at the time of booking that this flight is VERY EMPTY.

So I book my flight on the Friday morning and I’m on my way to the airport later that afternoon. I figure I have plenty of time and I even stop for dinner with the fam before heading to the airport.

In all the times I’ve ever flown this route, I’ve always arrived at the airport 60 minutes in advance. I know that going to the US is technically international. But c’mon. It’s not like the US doesn’t consider Canada a mini rogue state and it’s not like all the US airports don’t dump the Canadian traffic in the domestic terminals anyway. :p

So I get to the airport 80 minutes in advance. I go to the airport check in and proceed to get my boarding pass.

“Itinerary not found”

Uh oh.

With no small amount of trepidation, I head up to the front of the line where there are 3 ladies at the check in counter and no other customers.

“Hi there,” I say to the lady on the far left “It seems to say that my booking number isn’t there.”

“One sec, let me look,” says lady-on-the-far-left. She types away furiously, stares intently at the screen, then tells me matter-of-factly “booking’s closed. You should have come earlier.”

“But there’s still a full hour,” I say. I can’t believe this is happening. “I don’t even have to check anything in. It’s all carry-on.”

At this point the lady on the far right interjects (as I said, there were no other customers). “You can always call the gate for her. They can open a spot.” You rock, I think.

“I don’t know the number,” says the person who’s helping me. YOU suck.

“I can get you the number” quips helpful lady on the right. TEN seconds later, she reads out a number, to which my person reluctantly dials. THREE seconds after that, she hangs up. “No answer.”

“Try this number instead”

“I think I’m just going to send her to ticketing,” says my very unhelpful person.

“You can just reopen the booking for her yourself” says helpful person.

“Nah I’m just going to send her to ticketing.”

I’m not kidding. She said that in front of me. Unfortunately for me by this time the middle lady and right helpful lady are occupied by clients. I turn to look at the unhelpful person.

“It sounds like you should be able to let me in. The flight is empty, I have my luggage, I’m over 60 minutes in advance and I’ve never had a problem,” I say.

“I don’t know how to do it,” she insists. Bitch!

I look at the time. I look at her. I weigh my options. Probability chance of success if I insist right here? And what if I head over to this “ticketing” place? Hmm. With just under an hour, I decide to take my chances elsewhere.

“Where is ticketing?” I ask.

“Oh just around the corner.” She points somewhere vaguely left.

I start heading in the direction of ticket booth — across the ENTIRE international terminal AND the domestic terminal. I get to the near-mythical Air Canada ticketing booth and I see one attendant and 2 people in line.

I walk up to the very front.

I mean, if there’s something I can do about this, it’s now or never.

“Excuse me,” I say. “I was told that my flight (which is now in 50 minutes) was closed for boarding and that you can open it up for me. I don’t have luggage.”

“Get back in line.” I am told very firmly.

I reluctantly get back in line.

And watch as my 50 minutes trickles down to 30 minutes and I’m still the 3rd person in line.

Some 25 minutes after I got to this area, about 30 other people show up in my line. Their flight has been cancelled and they need to be rescheduled for tomorrow. There are NO other possible flights for them tonight.

Suddenly, the one attendant multiplies to about 5.

But does that help me?

You’d think eh, but nope. I watch as an usher appears out of nowhere and start directing the people who arrived -behind- me to these new attendants.

“Excuse me,” I ask. I was in line before hand and I’m still magically hoping I can catch my flight. “My flight is departing soon and I’d reeeally like to catch it.”

“Sorry miss, these guys have priority. Their flight has been cancelled.” WTF! My flight could be sending me up in the air in 25 mins!

So I wait until my 25 minutes turns into -25 minutes and my flight officially departs. Along the way, I swap battle stories with my newfound line-up comrades about our worst Air Canada stories. And many a dirty tale surfaces. Well at least it passes time.

Finally I’m up at the front.

“I’ve missed my flight.” I tell the now pleasant attendant. At this point I am expecting more grief. Like she wants the place that I’m renting mortgaged for a rebooking fee or something.

“I have a flight that I can put you on tomorrow morning at 11:00am.” She tells me.

She messin’ with me?

“Suuure…I’ll take that.” I tell her.

She’s silent for the next minute typing away, prints out my itinerary and hands it to me. Total transaction time? Less than 2 minutes. Total extra charge? $0.00.

“Thanks.” I say

“Just get there early tomorrow.” She tells me. Yeah no kidding.

As I leave, I have the notion that I’d really like to file a complaint against that first girl. To my disappointment, she was no longer at the counter when I’m finally back to the original counter hours later. The remaining attendants play mum on her name. Sucks.

So I go home in a huff, crawl to bed, arrive at the airport at 7:00am the next morning for my 11:00am flight –only to listen to Christmas carol music from the Christmas store at the gate for the next 3 hours. Cut me some slack! It’s summer! Those stores should be banned.

Boo.

And that was that.

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