Travelers get testy
BRENT JANG, From Monday's Globe and Mail
From lost luggage to flight delays, more passengers are barking about the airline industry's shortcomings.
The number of travellers' complaints about airlines jumped by 21 per cent last year, with Air Canada easily the No. 1 target of grievances while defunct Jetsgo Corp. generated a record number of phone calls to any government agency.
Air Canada, the country's largest carrier, had 663 grievances filed against it and its regional Jazz airline last year, up 37 per cent from 484 beefs in 2004, according to the Canadian Transportation Agency's air travel complaints program.
In total, the number of complaints lodged with Ottawa's air travel watchdog against domestic and foreign airlines climbed to 1,337 from 1,105.
While some consumers gave poor marks to Air Canada, the Montreal-based carrier recently told employees that there has been a turnaround in service, based on passenger surveys conducted by pollster Ipsos Reid on behalf of the airline.
"The most welcome improvement was in our baggage delivery, including our handling of priority baggage," Air Canada president Montie Brewer said in an internal letter to staff.
"We also received better ratings on the efficiency of our check-in and boarding process, on the grooming of the washrooms, and on our overall courtesy and helpfulness."
Mr. Brewer acknowledged that there is room for improvement, saying the Ipsos Reid findings "also indicate that we need to do a better job of keeping our customers informed of delays and connections while onboard, and we also need to improve the grooming of our aircraft interiors."
Air Canada emerged from bankruptcy protection in September, 2004, and passenger traffic at Air Canada and its Jazz operations climbed 8 per cent last year.
Industry experts say that some travellers probably felt sympathetic toward the carrier owing to the airline's precarious financial state in 2004 and didn't bother complaining, but more consumers voiced their gripes last year as the carrier recovered.
"All the carriers are in a tough spot. They're under pressure to provide service and still break even," transportation consultant Michael Bielecki said. "People get unhappy if bags are lost or the bags take too long to arrive."
The complaints program seeks to help resolve disagreements through mediation.
Disgruntled passengers who contacted the program named price-slashing Jetsgo as the second-worst offender, even though the discount airline operated less than three months last year. Jetsgo was the subject of complaints in 85 cases between Jan. 1 and March 10 of 2005.
Montreal-based Jetsgo, which halted operations on March 11, 2005, was cited 159 times in grievances filed during 2004, when it also was .-up to Air Canada in the complaints derby.
Airline Complaints
Moderators: lilfssister, North Shore, sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, I WAS Birddog
All airlines suck! From a pax point of view. Pax are treated like cattle! Airport security is a royal pain in the ass! Seats are tight. Stews are old and ugly! If I dont have to fly...I dont! Far rather drive, or ride! All airlines loose baggage...and they dont GARA! And of course everybody likes to bitch about Air Canada...but they ALL suck!
Last edited by Doc on Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If we are going to be anecdotal, here is a copy of a letter I just sent:
To Mr. Robert Milton and staff:
On Saturday, my wife, who is visually impaired, travelled to *** using some Aeroplan points I had accumulated. We arrived at the airport in good time and 'checked her in' using the automated kiosks. The agent on duty approached and asked us if we needed assistance. When I asked her to look after my wife because of her disability, she responded in a very cheerful manner and whisked her off to the baggage drop, took her to the security screening and assisted her through, then delivered her to the gate. The agent in charge of the gate offered to get my wife some coffee, and when boarding commenced, escorted her to a seat (in Business? First Class? I'm not sure) and introduced her to the cabin staff. My wife claims to have been pampered and treated with the utmost courtesy and understanding throughout the flight and by all the Air Canada staff that she encountered, including the *** airport staff who escorted her off the aircraft and assisted her to the baggage area, where she was met by family. She has been raving about her treatment and was frankly surprised that such a level of service still existed in today's difficult airline market.
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to commend and thank all of the terrific staff that provided my wife with such a pleasant journey, in ***, on board and at *** - my only regret is that I wish I had been able to obtain their names to thank them all in person.
Sincerely,
To Mr. Robert Milton and staff:
On Saturday, my wife, who is visually impaired, travelled to *** using some Aeroplan points I had accumulated. We arrived at the airport in good time and 'checked her in' using the automated kiosks. The agent on duty approached and asked us if we needed assistance. When I asked her to look after my wife because of her disability, she responded in a very cheerful manner and whisked her off to the baggage drop, took her to the security screening and assisted her through, then delivered her to the gate. The agent in charge of the gate offered to get my wife some coffee, and when boarding commenced, escorted her to a seat (in Business? First Class? I'm not sure) and introduced her to the cabin staff. My wife claims to have been pampered and treated with the utmost courtesy and understanding throughout the flight and by all the Air Canada staff that she encountered, including the *** airport staff who escorted her off the aircraft and assisted her to the baggage area, where she was met by family. She has been raving about her treatment and was frankly surprised that such a level of service still existed in today's difficult airline market.
On behalf of my wife and myself, I would like to commend and thank all of the terrific staff that provided my wife with such a pleasant journey, in ***, on board and at *** - my only regret is that I wish I had been able to obtain their names to thank them all in person.
Sincerely,
"What's it doing now?"
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
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bush pilot
- Rank 4
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:51 pm
- Location: Boringtown
To look at # of complaints as the only way of determining customer dissatisfaction is a skewed method.
If you really want to make the # of complaints a meaningful figure I think you have to look at it as:
# of Complaints
____________________
# of Passenger Miles
It may very well come out that AC is still the worst, nonetheless it will be a more accurate descriptor of their shortcomings...
If you really want to make the # of complaints a meaningful figure I think you have to look at it as:
# of Complaints
____________________
# of Passenger Miles
It may very well come out that AC is still the worst, nonetheless it will be a more accurate descriptor of their shortcomings...
I dunno, I've had a great experience with jazz...and frankly I'm getting tired of those stupid wj jokes.....N2 wrote:How did WJ figure into this I wonder? Their people are fantastic to deal with compared to AC, infact last time I flew AC convinced me to A) either book WJ or B) take the train!
cyxe
Why do something now when you can do it later??
Jokes about or onboard???cyxe wrote:I dunno, I've had a great experience with jazz...and frankly I'm getting tired of those stupid wj jokes.....N2 wrote:How did WJ figure into this I wonder? Their people are fantastic to deal with compared to AC, infact last time I flew AC convinced me to A) either book WJ or B) take the train!
cyxe
Lots of envy jokes about Westjet and lots of complaints about their onboard jokes but seems that their passenger numbers continue to climb. They must be doing something right.
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Jaques Strappe
- Rank (9)
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- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 6:34 pm
- Location: YYZ
Brent Jang is a piss poor journalist in my opinion.
"Air Canada tops the list" Of course Air Canada does.....it is the largest airline in Canada and somewhere around the 11th largest in the world! When you carry 70,000 pax a day, you are going to get a larger number of complaints than someone who carries less than 10,000.
If pilots flew airplanes as accurately as journalists reported news, there would be dead people everywhere.
"Air Canada tops the list" Of course Air Canada does.....it is the largest airline in Canada and somewhere around the 11th largest in the world! When you carry 70,000 pax a day, you are going to get a larger number of complaints than someone who carries less than 10,000.
If pilots flew airplanes as accurately as journalists reported news, there would be dead people everywhere.
Standby for new atis message
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bush pilot
- Rank 4
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:51 pm
- Location: Boringtown
One of the biggest problems with journalism today is that reporters feel no need to actually become informed about a subject before reporting on it. "I know more than my audience, and that's good enough for me."
The other problem is that they present facts without regard to their context. As Jacques pointed out, it's a given that Air Canada is going to have more customer complaints because they have more customers. DUH!
The other problem is that they present facts without regard to their context. As Jacques pointed out, it's a given that Air Canada is going to have more customer complaints because they have more customers. DUH!
Please don't tell my mother that I work in the Oilpatch...she still thinks that I'm the piano player at a whorehouse.
