Family had to pay an additional $4000 for new tickets when Air Canada barred them from their original fight
Shanty Thivakaran and her husband Thiva Maheswaran are looking for answers as to why Air Canada barred them from a flight they rightfully paid to be on, and were forced to fly the next day for an additional cost of almost $4000.
On June 27, Thivakaran, her husband, their two children, as well as Maheswaran’s mother we due to fly from Toronto’s Pearson airport to London on an Air Canada flight. The family arrived to the airport 2.5 hours before their flight, and were directed to a check-in line by an Air Canada agent. However, the agent directed them to the incorrect check in line. Around 1.5 hours before takeoff, they were redirected to the correct line, where they were told that their family of five would not be able to fly. Thivakaran and her family assumed that the flight had been overbooked, and would be bumped to another flight, however, Air Canada told CBC News there were eight seats empty at the time of takeoff.
After waiting over an hour at the ticket line they were then directed to, the booth closed. With no one left to help them with their issue, they were stranded at the airport. An agent then told them to go home and someone would be able to help them re-book their tickets the next morning.
"At that point, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," says Thivakaran. "I never felt so helpless. I felt like I was banging my head against the wall."
The next morning, after waiting in the ticket line for over 2 hours, they were told that they would have to purchase all new tickets are they were listed as “no-shows” from the day before, forcing them to spend close to $4000 extra on tickets for the new flight.
"This is money we worked hard to earn, and there's no reason why we should be ripped off," says Thivakaran.
After the family returned from their vacation, Thivakaran complained to Air Canada and asked for compensation. As a gesture of goodwill, the airline offered them a voucher for 25 per cent off their next Air Canada booking.
"I just fumed, that action on their part was just too little too late," said Thivakaran. "I'm never travelling on Air Canada again. Even if I was on my death bed and I needed immediate treatment in U.S., I'd rather die than go on Air Canada."