Air Canada has been ordered to pay compensation to a grieving grandchild who claimed they were misled into purchasing full-price flight tickets by an ill-informed chatbot. In an argument that appeared to flabbergast a small claims adjudicator in British Columbia, the airline attempted to distance itself from its own chatbot’s bad advice by claiming the online tool … Read more
Lawmakers took Air Canada’s CEO to task on Monday over “shocking” and “scandalous” failures to accommodate passengers living with disabilities. At a House of Commons committee hearing on services for Canadians with disabilities, chief executive Michael Rousseau faced a barrage of questions over reports of passenger mistreatment during the past year. Vice-chair Tracy Gray cited … Read more
A relaxing vacation in Cuba was what Jeff Phelps thought he was signing up for when he booked a 20th wedding anniversary trip with Sunwing. That’s not what they got when they arrived at the Grand Memories Varadero, listed as a 4.5-star facility, during the holidays. The family opened the door to the room and “the first thing that … Read more
An Air Canada passenger sustained injuries after they opened a cabin door and plunged onto the tarmac. The incident happened on Jan. 8 when the Air Canada plane, a Boeing 777, was sitting on the tarmac at Toronto Pearson International Airport and was preparing to take-off for Dubai. Air Canada’s spokesperson said the passenger “boarded … Read more
WestJet says it is facing “significant operational impacts” due to the extremely cold weather in the Prairies and parts of B.C. Saturday morning, temperatures rendered de-icing fluid ineffective in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Kelowna, Kamloops, Fort McMurray, Prince George, Grande Prairie, Yellowknife and Fort St. John, the airline said in a statement posted to its … Read more
A flight approaches the airport in San Diego, Calif. K.C. Alfred/Getty Images In this week’s airline news, the Transportation Department said the flight cancellation rate in 2023 dropped by almost 50% from the previous year, and the rate over the year-end holidays was even lower; DOT also said the vast majority of flight delays were caused … Read more
Air Canada notched the worst on-time performance among 10 large airlines in North America in 2023, according to a new report. The country’s biggest carrier landed 63 per cent of its flights on time last year, placing it last among the continent’s 10 largest airlines, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics firm. That means roughly 140,000 planes … Read more
Air Canada has been slapped with a hefty fine after a disabled passenger had to drag himself off a plane because the airline did not provide him with wheelchair assistance. Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has issued a fine of £58,075 against Air Canada for violating the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, among other … Read more
FILE: An Alaska Airlines plane takeoff from SFO in June 2023. Tayfun CoSkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In the latest airline news, new construction at San Francisco International could delay flights for months, the airport warns; Alaska Airlines is boosting checked bag fees; regional carrier JSX orders hundreds of hybrid-electric planes to expand service to smaller … Read more
FILE: An Alaska Airlines plane takeoff from SFO in June 2023. Tayfun CoSkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In the latest airline news, new construction at San Francisco International could delay flights for months, the airport warns; Alaska Airlines is boosting checked bag fees; regional carrier JSX orders hundreds of hybrid-electric planes to expand service to smaller … Read more
