I am incredibly shocked at the treatment and deaf ears that I have encountered when reporting the incident that happened to me on flight AC 848 on Oct 2nd, 2009 from Toronto - YYZ to Heathrow, London. I am currently writing up my full statement of this appalling incident and response by your staff both in-flight crew and on the ground in London.
I have been traveling with Air Canada since I was a child and to be treated with such treatment which is borderline if not directly prejudice, disgusting, unprofessional and permanently damaging and emotionally hurtful. I was totally uncared for during the unbelievable shocking incident. The flight attendant who poured the coffee did absolutely nothing!
The woman sitting in front of me turned around to grab her pillow that came through the seat onto my feet and knocked my tray right up spilling my coffee all over my lap and crotch to be exact. The flight attendant gave me a little square napkin as I sat there in pain biting my tongue from the burning coffee. She was way more attentive to the woman (white middle aged) than I who was sitting wet with hot coffee all over me. She never returned to ask if I was okay the rest of the flight as I sat next to a VP from RIM whom was embarrassed and felt sorry for me and asked if I was ok.
There was clearly a colour issue here which I never have experienced so blatantly in my life. I am a young black male that works abroad as a government communications advisor in the GCC – Gulf region. I truly believe my lack of attention to my incident and burn was based on negative biased face value by your staff in-flight and on the ground. I did not matter to them even though I was extremely polite and did my best to calmly and clearly bring this incident forward to be attended to.
When I brought it to flight director’s attention after sitting in the wet coffee drenched seat the entire rest of the flight, nothing was done and also ground personal in customer service in Heathrow (Russell) nothing was done. No note or no report. I did however receive to strips of paper of customer service contact info by Russell (Heathrow AC Customer Service) who honestly was bewildered and shocked no one on flight had made any report or given me any attentive service or instructions of who to contact.
In my return flight (Oct 17th 869 – Heathrow to YYZ) the check in agent – was extremely snappy and was not helpful but gave me a customer service card and asked I speak to a supervisor at the gate. The ground gate supervisor whom I approached and tried to explain snapped at me in front of other passengers when I was explaining the incident and refused to give me her name and turned badge around and told me to sit down aggressively and boldly like I was a second class citizen or child. I did ask for an upgrade on the return due to the incident and discomfort I was feeling from the rash like developments from the burn.
I was on an intensive schedule of meetings, interviews and film festival conference (MEIFF) and I could not have altered this schedule based on what occurred during my flight to London. I tried my best to take care of the burn while in my travels that took me to London, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and then return on the 17th. The Supervisor in London Heathrow was the last straw who balked at me because there was nothing in her system on the incident and pretty much blamed me for being a bother. It was so humiliating telling her about the burn and irritation on my crotch in front of other passengers in line to have her to have her react so rough and terribly aggressive.
I sat and took notes and watched her demeanor with other passengers of different colour and creed. I might say that I honestly never wished I was a middle aged white woman or a white male in a suit or even slacks and shirt until then. This was the last straw for me with this really clear and needed to be brought to your attention matter! Your staff needs to be trained on racial issues and biases and I am not going to stop until this matter gets addressed clearly and timely. You’re an airline of this country, which has remarkably people of multiple beautiful origins and races and your teams need to be sensitive and not approach people based on their colour, age, class or even sexuality. This was a gross misconduct of service and obvious bias in treatment
To make it worse I have had to see a doctor on my burn and currently having to apply cream to my crotch area. I am going to see another doctor for a second opinion on the discomfort I am feeling by my scrotum.
During my 16 day trip it was uncomfortable to walk at times, to cross my legs and to even participate in any sociable opportunity such as dancing. I am very disgusted by this and I am now seeking your immediate attention, further discussion and handling of this matter.

The day from h**l started when we checked in for our 10:45am flight at 8am, even though the flight was already delayed the agent checking us in didn't tell us when we checked in. There were very few people at the gate but just though maybe the flight wasn't full, when we got up at 10am to go to the bathroom we finally find out from another couple looking at the board that our flight is delayed an hour. This is 15 mintues before what our boarding time would have been if the flight was on time... NO ONE FROM AIRCANADA is at the gate yet to tell anyone anything. We come back at 11am, and surprise there is still NO ONE from aircanada AND the flight is delayed by another hour. Finally at 1 pm someone shows up, they show no concern or care that half of the passangers have or are going to miss their flights and all they give you is a lousy $10 meal voucher. We finally get on the plane and it has to pull back in for maintenance check delaying us another hour. We finally arrive in San Fran and we've missed our connection. The agents there book on a different connection in which we will have to take another flight in the morning to get to our finaly destination. When we arrive we are suppose to be greated by an Air Canada rep and to no surprise there is NO ONE THERE. We get a hotel and have to PAY FOR IT and reimburse it later. So what should have been a 12 hour trip took us 31 hours! We submit a complaint about this and all we get for our $900 flight tickets EACH is a$100 credit vouchers... I dont' know what they want me to do with that - I have no plans of EVER flying with AIR CANADA again it didn't even cover our taxes. DO NOT FLY WITH AIR CANADA.

To Whom it May Concern

On Tuesday September 1st, 2009 we had a reservation to fly from Toronto, Canada
to Los Angeles, California on Flight 799 departing Toronto at 1200N. Reference
NGJDVV, with connecting flights to San Jose, California.

We arrived at the airport shortly before 11:00 AM in sufficient time to meet the one
hour shedule. We stood in line while your agent spent a long time in assisting
another customer. As it was getting close to 11:00 AM we noticed another agent
had appeared so we went to that person. When we presented our flight schedule
to him he told us that it is five minutes past the gate closing period and we could
not be placed on our scheduled flight. He then told us to go to Section A and talk
with an agent there.

This we did. We were then told we could get on the airplane but our luggage would
not be able to accompany us. I told the lady that I just cannot leave my luggage
behind so she said that we would have to reschedule on a different flight. She then
told us that they did have a flight leaving Toronto at 17:10 hours but we would have
a six hour wait in the terminal. Having no other choice we agreed and was then
required to pay a $150.00 fee for my wife and I. Again, having no choice
in the matter we had to make this payment.

When given the ticket we then headed to immigration and customs. Cleaned in less
than 5 minutes and then found the departing gate and waited. While we were at
the gate we noticed that some late passengers got on a departing airlines even
thought the sign listing the flight said Closed.

It is our opinion that we could have gotten on our scheduled flight with ease. But
your agent decided against it. Our luggage could have been sent on a later flight
and we could have picked it up in San Jose, California when it arrived.

So instead of a five hour trip, it took us 11 hours to reach our destination. We spent
two weeks in Canada and enjoyed our stay. But our experience with Air Canada
made the trip one miserable one, which will not be forgotten.

We should have been allowed to get on our original flight as five minutes would not
have made any difference to your airline. And because you only had two persons
handling your check in's, that five minutes should not have been a problem. I hate
to think that your agents did this on purpose just so that you could charge more. I
know you cannot do anything about the six hour delay but I think you should refund
us the reschedule charge as we were in the airport well in advance of your one hour
requirement.

John Gallipeau
PO Box 306, Honomu, Hawaii 96728
808-963-6792

email: [email protected]

In February 2009 I booked return travel with Air Canada from Kamloops to Sydney Australia. Air Canada continues to have a fuel surcharge on international flights. Since booking and paying for my ticket the fuel surcharge has been reduced on the Sydney flight. I contacted Air Canada to discuss a refund, they explained that they do not refund changes in fares. I understand and agree with this policy. The fuel surcharge however is separate from the fare (it even shows this on the Air Canada receipt) and is intended to offset increased fuel cost. I am paying for fuel that will be used during my travel. Since the trip has not yet occured and the fuel surcharge is now lower (reduced from $320 - 230) is seems resonable that the difference would be refunded.

I travel frequently with Air Canada. At least two or three times a month earlier this year I was traveling on a puddle jumper and as always, bring my briefcase with me on board the cabin. This particular day, the steward told me that I had to check my bag as it would not fit in the overhead compartment or under the seat. I told him that I could not as it was all electronics, he proceeded to assure me that sky Cap would take very good care of my electronics. after about five minutes of arguing with them. I gave in and gave him my briefcase. I did not notice any electronics missing until I got to my meeting the next morning. I was missing an iPod, voice recognition dictating software headset, my web cam, digital camera were all missing. I immediately contacted Air Canada at the airport where a landed and informed him that I had several pieces of electronics missing. Given the flight number and everything that I felt was pertinent to getting my electronics back. I felt confident the facts there was only one person to handle the sky check, Air Canada could easily figure out who that was and get my electronics back. When I came back to the same airport to fly out again. I spoke to air Canada Representative again and received a written confirmation of the report I had filed and I felt confidence and reassured that I would either get my electronics back or I would be compensated for my loss... after four months of communicating with Air Canada. Air Canada would purposely transfer me to all different departments. Just a semi through hoops. Air Canada asking me to fill out these reports over and over again and asking for receipts of all the equipment and making me jump through hoops time and time again. After all that. Then they inform me that they company policy is not to ensure or be responsible for electronics, When they are checked in.
In other words. They can steal all the electronics they want, and the company will never be held responsible. I don't even think they even investigated.

I am positive that their purpose was to stall me as long as possible and to put enough hoops and barriers in front of me that eventually I would give up. and at that point they wouldn't have to reimburse me or do anything. Not even investigates their employees. if Air Canada employees feel they will not be investigated. It's as much as encouraging them to steal.

Do not check any electronics or any valuable items with Air Canada, or Any airline.