‘Zero assistance’
Overbooked flight causes major headache for Charlottetown family
Overbooking by Air Canada turned March break travel into a costly, anxiety-filled nightmare for a Charlottetown family.
The major snag began when Brett Doyle tried to book his family and reserve seats on March 15 for a flight from Charlottetown to Costa Rica through Montreal – a flight he had already purchased for his family back in
August.
He was given a seat as was his wife, Shanna, and the couple’s eight-year-old son, Simon.
However, Brett was told there was no seat available for his 10-year-old son, Cole.
Shanna drove to the Charlottetown Airport hoping to resolve the problem.
An Air Canada agent was very apologetic but unable to help her family’s flight plight.
Shanna was told that the flight was several seats oversold and that her son likely would not get on.
Shanna, Brett and several other adult passengers travelling with the Doyle family offered to give up their seat for Cole, but an agent said that would not guarantee Cole getting a seat. Another traveller on the oversold list, they were told, may scoop up the seat before it was issued to the boy.
All other flights out of Charlottetown were booked, so an agent suggested Brett drive his family to Moncton and fly into Montreal to catch the flight to Costa Rica.
He did, but when he proceeded through security, he was informed that his flight was cancelled.
He went online to find three options to still make his connection out of Montreal to Costa Rica. However, when he got an agent on the line, she told him each of the flights was sold out.
“I asked why would I be able to purchase these online if they were sold out, and what would happen if I purchased and showed up at the gate,’’ says Brett.
“(The agent) told me I would get bumped and be in the same situation.’’
He has no idea why Air Canada would continue to sell flights on its website when they are sold out.
Air Canada, says Brett, offered “zero assistance’’ to remedy the situation.
In the end, he gave up his seat on the original flight and drove his son, Cole, to Halifax so the pair could catch a flight to Montreal. Shanna drove home to Charlottetown and caught the original flight with her son, Simon.
The family reunited in Montreal for the flight to Costa Rica.
Brett estimates all the scurrying around cost more than $700 in various expenses, plus he and his wife forfeited a day of work.
Most disconcerting, though, was the great stress caused by so much uncertainty over how, or if, the trip could come together for the family.
Brett and Shanna were devastated witnessing their son, Cole, fearing he might be left behind and feeling that he was the cause of the problem.
“He was really scared…he kept saying ‘is everything going to be OK’,’’ says Brett.
Brett feels air travel is heading in a sad direction when booking and paying for a flight is no guarantee of having a seat on that flight.
“What in reality are we paying for,’’ adds Shanna.
A spokeswoman for Air Canada told The Guardian that the airline was made aware of Brett’s situation during his travel by a family member to whom the airline reached out to immediately leaving a message on his cell phone.
“Miscommunication occurred because we were not dealing directly with the travelling family,’’ said the spokeswoman.
“We did then send an email directly to Mr. Doyle to facilitate communications, apologize, provide information without delay and discuss compensation.’’
Shanna says that Air Canada did not discuss compensation until after being contacted by The Guardian Wednesday about the Doyles’ flight booking misadventure.
She says Air Canada has now offered to review the family’s expenses and provide a $2,500 travel voucher.
The timing, she suggests, appears to be all about damage control with Air Canada looking to preserve its image.
The spokeswoman, though, says Air Canada started discussion in its initial voice mail while the family was still travelling explaining the airline would help with all the expenses “as we pay significant compensation to passengers inconvenienced by oversold flights.’’