“An utter catastrophe”: Air Canada blamed for senior couple’s journey mess
A son is pissed off after Air Canada misplaced his senior dad and mom’ baggage, which contained important medicine, and handled his dad and mom with a “lack of service, compassion, and understanding.”
Andy Ma and Anita Lee, each of their early ’70s, boarded a flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong on November 2.
Cody Ma advised Day by day Hive that the chaotic and irritating strategy of flying began when his dad and mom checked in after they weren’t capable of sit within the seats they’d booked.
“The counter agent knowledgeable us that seats can change on a regular basis,” he stated.
Ma added that when his dad and mom bought their tickets, they chose an aisle seat for Anita as a result of she is mobility impaired.
“She has to [walk] at a really gradual tempo and take frequent rests. She additionally can’t sit for lengthy intervals of time, in any other case, her legs, hips, and ankles get very stiff,” Ma defined. “Along with her being within the center seat, it limits her alternative of with the ability to freely get out of her seat to stroll round and transfer.
“As she may be very cumbersome getting out of her seat, she feels that it is rather inconvenient and bothersome to the folks beside her (therefore my father was supposed to take a seat along with her to help her).”
Regardless of explaining the reasoning within the “Notes” possibility when buying their tickets, Ma stated his dad and mom had been advised his father was on standby and gained’t be capable of assign him a seat till later within the night, not to mention sit him along with his spouse.
Flight leaves mom in “immense ache”
Anticipating to board as a precedence as a result of Anita is disabled with rheumatoid arthritis, Ma advised Day by day Hive his dad and mom weren’t given further time to board.
“Boarding brokers refused them and advised them to line up on the again to attend for his or her zone quantity.”
When the couple boarded the airplane, they had been seated individually in center seats, which resulted in Anita being in “immense ache” by the top of the flight, he stated.
Ma wrote in an electronic mail that his mom was ultimately wheelchaired out of Hong Kong as a consequence of her lack of mobility, “therefore her requesting, and being confirmed for an aisle seat.”
Air Canada’s response to Day by day Hive stated, “we remorse these clients had been dissatisfied with their journey expertise.” Nevertheless, to supply a extra nice flight for future travellers, it is strongly recommended that passengers with particular medical conditions contact Air Canada’s Medical Desk earlier than travelling to debate out there lodging.
Air Canada added particular seats could be booked forward of time, however when flights are full, it’s not at all times doable to re-seat passengers, “as many have already pre-purchased particular seats.”
The airline explains this could occur when many individuals have already pre-purchased particular seats.
“We make each effort to seat clients travelling along with one another however regrettably, it could not at all times be doable,” the assertion reads.
Important medicine misplaced
So as to add to the stress of the flight, Ma stated his dad and mom waited three hours on the baggage carousel in Hong Kong for his or her luggage that didn’t arrive.
“We continually referred to as Air Canada for the whereabouts of the bags for this direct flight, and we’re advised it’s being traced on excessive precedence.”
Ma stated it was troubling to know his dad and mom’ medicine was misplaced as a result of it was important for his mom’s ache and irritation administration, in addition to her rheumatoid arthritis and coronary heart medicine.
Medicine for Andy helps along with his hypertension, ldl cholesterol, and diabetes, amongst others, Ma added. “His situations are much less life-threatening and extra manageable, it’s nonetheless a really a lot added stress.”
“I acknowledge that it’s by no means a good thought to go away medicine in checked baggage, and had I identified my dad and mom did that, I’d have suggested them towards it,” Ma admitted.
Air Canada does advise on its web site that every one valuables like medicine ought to at all times be carried within the buyer’s carry-on bag.
“We make this very clear on our web site and when luggage are checked in. Passengers are additionally required to acknowledge this in the course of the bag examine course of,” the airline advised Day by day Hive.
“My mom fortunately had a full record of her drugs in her purse, whereas my father had his record within the checked baggage. I had to determine which pharmacy my father had a report at and needed to request a record to electronic mail him. They promptly checked right into a hospital clinic in Hong Kong to have their prescriptions stuffed.”
4 days after the hope of receiving their luggage diminished, Andy and Anita changed many of the gadgets.
On their fifth day in Hong Kong, a baggage service in Hong Kong delivered Ma’s dad and mom’ luggage and stated over 300 items of bags had been missed from that flight.
Ma says an apology isn’t sufficient
“What an utter catastrophe of an airline,” Ma stated.
Air Canada didn’t affirm whether or not or not 300 items of bags didn’t make it onto the airplane.
After their keep in Hong Kong, Ma stated his dad and mom are extremely contemplating flying again with a special airline.
Ma stated he is appalled on the service from the airline and added, “It was an unlucky sequence of errors, one after one other, that no passenger must be subjected to, notably the aged and people mobility impaired.”
“I’m offended that this has occurred to them and pissed off that we needed to be those and never the airline to comply with up on misplaced baggage.”
Ma stated an apology from the airline can be “meaningless with out correct reflection and motion,” and Air Canada must assess its inner protocols and communications.
Ma does hope the airline will compensate his dad and mom for bills attributable to the delayed baggage and since their confirmed seats weren’t honoured.
