Uncertainty, confusion on busy travel week

MONTREAL• Canada’ s largest airline was so inundated with calls it couldn’t even place callers on hold Thursday, a day after Ottawa joined dozens of countries in grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Calls to Air Canada’s customer service line Wednesday and Thursday prompted a recording that said call volume has temporarily exceeded the company’s capacity to answer or even place callers on hold. The message cites “unforeseen circumstances,” and directs callers to Air Canada’s website.

Kimberly Yetman Dawson, visiting family in Ontario, said she booked a second return flight to Halifax this Saturday at double the cost due to confusion over whether her original trip — scheduled initially on a Max 8 — would go ahead.

“I’m hoping that I’ ll be compensated or I’ ll be credited,” she said. “It’s a shlimazel. It’s up in the air.”

The logjam prompted Air Canada to set up a service line for Max 8 passengers flying in the next 72 hours: 1-833-354-5963.

Air Canada said it will waive cancellation charges and rebooking fees for Max 8 flights within three weeks of the original travel date.

The Montreal-based company has 24 Max 8s that carry between 9,000 and 12,000 passengers daily. The jets fly popular routes including Vancouver-calgary and Montreal-los Angeles as well as to Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii, causing headaches for thousands of March break vacationers.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the decision to ground the planes was made after a review of the available evidence in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster Sunday that killed all 157 people on board, including 18 Canadians.

Westjet Airlines Ltd., which has 13 Max 8s that fly to destinations in Florida and elsewhere, said 11 domestic flights were cancelled Thursday. More than three-quarters of the 1,200 passengers would be rebooked on flights Thursday, with the remainder departing Friday or Saturday, the airline said.

The Calgary-based company has a no-fee cancellation policy for Max 8 flights, though new flights may cost more. Both airlines say customers will not be compensated for accommodations.

“The first 72 hours is a major shock,” said Mark Gallardo, vice-president of network planning at Air Canada. “As time progresses we’re going to have a lot more recovery options.”

The airline hopes to hang on to several Embraer E-90 and Airbus A320 planes that were slated to exit the fleet this month, Gallardo said.

Slashing flights and usingbigger planes and reserve crews is another strategy, along with rerouting passengers through other airlines.