Court orders Air Canada to pay $10,000 after couple on dream trip treated disgracefully

Blame it on Air Canada!

Air Canada had to pay a Yukon couple $10,000 after it failed to get them to their destination after an oversold flight, forcing them to miss the trip of a lifetime. The decision was made in Yukon Small Claims Court, which ruled the couple had been “disgracefully treated” by the airline.

“This was for a trip my husband and I tried to take to Cuba where we were denied boarding which led to a 3 day ordeal at various airports and hotels and ultimately ended with us never making it to Cuba,” one of the plaintiffs. , called Tosh Southwick, complained on Facebook.

The Air-ors’ comedy happened two years ago as the pair planned to take a nine-day, child-free tour of Cuba in 2023, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported. They reportedly saved for years, took time off work and hired a nanny to look after their three children during their holidays.

Their hope for a dream getaway was quickly dashed after they arrived at the Toronto airport to fly to Cuba and discovered that their Air Canada flight had been overbooked, by decision.

The couple graciously decided to give up their seats after the airline informed them they would be compensated and rescheduled on an American Airlines flight later that day.

Only a few hours later they discovered that the last flight was not available, but they never received an explanation as to why.

Things only fell apart after Southwick and her husband were diverted to Montreal with Air Canada representatives claiming there would be a replacement plane from Air Transat waiting to take them to Cuba.

That turned out not to be the case when they were ferried to Toronto and then Edmonton, with no discernible route to their final destination provided by Air Canada.

“It appears that Air Canada did not even have evidence of a communication with Air Transat or American Airlines,” the decision said.

As a result, the couple’s dream of a Cuban getaway was dashed. To save their vacation, the Canucks booked a trip to Cancun, Mexico, but it forced them to take more time off work and lose income.

Judge Katherine L. McLeod asserted that passengers had a “terrible experience” and accused Air Canada of violating the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), which outline the obligations airlines must have to their fliers in the event of a cancellation. delays and other flight issues.

These rules state that a carrier that offers benefits to a passenger who has voluntarily given up their seats on an overbooked flight – such as overbooking – must confirm this in writing to the passenger in question before the flight departs. The couple reportedly never received this.

The airline initially collected $1,800 in hotel and food fees, but the judge deemed that insufficient to cover their costs — including lost revenue and booking a new flight to their new destination — and ordered they paid over $10,000.

Southwick wrote on Facebook that they hope their case “helped set a new precedent that hopefully others can use in their own cases.”

Judge McLeod said their ordeal highlighted the dangers of airlines using automated booking systems.

“While I appreciate the wonders of air travel that have been advanced by computers, this case is an example of why computers cannot be the sole decision maker,” she wrote. “Had a human being seen the alternative travel available to the defendants, provided the proper documentation, examined the feasibility of the onward travel plans selected by the corporate computers, much of this could have been avoided.”