Air Canada no longer consigning pets to cargo
May 4th, 2008 Posted in Reptile PetsPets travelling on Air Canada are being bumped up from cargo to checked baggage starting Sunday as the window closes to appeal a tribunal ruling that deemed the cargo rule unreasonable for pet owners.
Air Canada is quietly making the change one day before it is required by law to reverse its pet policy, instituted last June. The change relegated pets weighing less than 70 pounds to cargo, designating them lower priority than baggage and mail.
But on the eve of the policy change, the airline had yet to change its online promotional materials and continued to tell customers that their pets could only fly cargo.
Spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur also said the airline hasn’t closed the door on appealing the decision of the Canadian Transportation Agency to the Federal Court of Appeal. The deadline to appeal is Monday.
Passenger Peter Griffiths, in his complaint to the agency, argued that designating pets as cargo meant his dog may not travel on the same aircraft as him and could be delayed overnight in another place. The agency agreed this was unreasonable.
The policy resulted in an “imbalance between the interests of Air Canada and consumers by giving only advantages to the carrier while exposing pet owners to many significant disadvantages.”
The pet decision is one in a string of recent decisions against Air Canada handed down by the Canadian Transportation Agency, charged with ruling on consumer complaints against the airlines.
Last week, business travellers got a boost when the tribunal dismissed Air Canada’s claim that the airline only accepts personal property for transportation and isn’t liable for lost luggage if a checked bag belongs to an employer.
And a few weeks earlier, the agency determined that Air Canada was wrong to ban a Vancouver passenger from future travel because of alleged unruly behaviour. It also ruled that the airline stepped over the line when it informed another carrier of alleged unruly behaviour, forcing the passenger to miss a connecting international flight between Honolulu and Auckland.
Arthur said she cannot address the specifics of each dispute, but said “we believe that even one unsatisfied customer is one too many and always regret whenever anyone has a less than completely satisfactory experience flying on Air Canada.”
But the airline carries 33 million people annually, “pretty much the equivalent of the population of Canada, and sometimes people are disappointed,” said Arthur.
Industry expert Joseph D’Cruz, professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, said the disputes before the tribunal are more complicated than that.
“They’re actually symptomatic of a problem, but they’re not the problem.”
He added, “Over the last few years, the airline industry has really fallen very short in terms of customer service.”
D’Cruz chalks it up to two problems - an adversarial relationship between management and employees, and financial difficulties resulting in cost-saving measures.
In the last month, Air Canada has announced new charges for passengers. Beginning next month, customers who purchase Tango or Tango Plus tickets will have to pay $25 if they check a second bag on domestic flights.
This came on the heels of another new optional charge for stranded passengers. By paying the fee, ranging from $25 to $35 depending on the length of the flight, passengers are guaranteed preferential treatment if they’re stranded due to bad weather, airport or air traffic delays. Services include instant message updates, and accommodation, meals and bookings on the next available flight.
Tags: air canada, bet, business travellers, canadian transportation agency, chase, consumer complaints, domestic flights, federal court of appeal, future travel, international flight, isabelle, luggage, mail, personal property, Pet, pet owners, pet policy, peter griffiths, pets, population, promotional materials, sap, spokeswoman, tribunal, unruly behaviourRelated posts
Tags: air canada, bet, business travellers, canadian transportation agency, chase, consumer complaints, domestic flights, federal court of appeal, future travel, international flight, isabelle, luggage, mail, personal property, Pet, pet owners, pet policy, peter griffiths, pets, population, promotional materials, sap, spokeswoman, tribunal, unruly behaviour
