No tears shed for Air Canada ...Travel agents say the airline is badly managed and nasty to deal with John Bermingham The Province Wednesday, April 02, 2003 No tears were shed by travel agents when Air Canada flew into bankruptcy protection yesterday. Despite a vast monopoly, Air Canada could not overcome its own bad management and bad customer relations, they said. "It's their own doing," said travel agent Marius Enthoven of Travel Headquarters in Vancouver. "I don't think they've listened to the traveller." Enthoven blamed the airline's complex pricing of tickets, gouging of the business traveller and overpriced one-way fares. "You phone Air Canada and you get nothing but bureaucracy," he said of its customer service. "They are unpleasant. They love to quote rules at you and they are not willing to do anything for you. "They have forgotten that the customer who travels in that seat, and who makes a phone call, may be a nuisance, may ask stupid questions, but they pay their salaries." The Canadian Standard Travel Agent Registry (CSTAR), which represents 900 travel agencies in Canada, sent a searing open letter to the federal government yesterday, laying the blame squarely on Air Canada. Most airlines, including Air Canada "say their troubles are largely the result of the Sept. 11 [2001] terrorist attacks, the poor economy, the war in Iraq, the unfolding SARS epidemic and countless other elements beyond their control," said CSTAR CEO Bruce Bishins. But he said Air Canada and other airlines "were in deep trouble before Sept. 11 -- troubles which were entirely a result of poor stewardship and ineffective management." Air Canada employees at Vancouver airport yesterday were not surprised to learn the airline had filed for bankruptcy protection, and said they'd been anticipating the worst. "People are bummed out," said a ground worker who did not want to be named. "You put 25 years into the company and get a layoff notice." He said he has already survived seven rounds of layoffs, and now expects a wage cut. Flight attendants figure they'll take a big job-loss hit, while some managers have been opting for buyouts. Air Canada pilots, who earn up to $220,000 a year and have job security until April 2004, may be asked to take wage rollbacks, but have so far refused to talk. Their 2.5-per-cent wage hike kicks in today. South of the border, some 2,500 American Airlines' pilots lost their jobs yesterday and the others had their salaries slashed by 23 per cent. While it's business as usual for Air Canada passengers, some were shaking their heads that a monopoly airline could go bust. "I was shocked -- I didn't think it would ever actually happen," said traveller Paul Rathwell, 34, of Vancouver. His girlfriend, Dana Petts, 30, was concerned about her 57,000 Aeroplan points. She said she still prefers Air Canada over other airlines, adding: "I've never had any problems. I like flying Air Canada." Josue Digap, 29, had just dropped off his resume to Air Canada, unaware the airline had gone into bankruptcy protection. "Where are those people going now?" he wondered. "I guess I have to find other options." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week:http://www.ttsailing.org/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************