Airlines drag heels on complaints: report Federal agency flags 'horror stories' at Air Transat Glen McGregor The Ottawa Citizen Friday, June 06, 2003 The financial crisis in Canada's airline industry is making it harder to settle passengers' complaints, says federal Air Travel Complaints Commissioner Liette Lacroix Kenniff. Airlines are watching every penny carefully and are now less willing to resolve grievances over travel delays or lost luggage with vouchers or cash compensation, she says. "They're saying we will not pay," Ms. Lacroix Kenniff said. "We have to call them and say, look at it again. We're doing it more than we used to and were having to move a few notches higher (in the airline administration) to get what we want." In her bi-annual report to Parliament, she reported her office in the Canadian Transportation Agency fielded 731 complaints in the last six months of 2002, down from 993 in the first half of the year. A majority involved the quality of service, but an increasing number were ticketing problems, add-on surcharges and difficulty getting refunds. And although complaints are down from a high in the post-Air Canada-Canadian Airlines merger, Ms. Lacroix Kenniff said that trend could be misleading because fewer people are flying. Also, travellers may not bother complaining to Air Canada because they know the airline's future is uncertain. The national carrier is operating under bankruptcy protection while it restructures to reduce costs. "People are saying, 'Why should I make a complaint? Air Canada is not going to reply anyway'." Her report also noted that lower passenger expectations on discounted airlines like Zip, Tango and CanJet may have prompted fewer gripes. Ms. Lacroix Kenniff says the number of complaints she received about Air Canada is about in line with its 70-per- cent market share. "Air Canada is no better, no worse," than other airlines its size, she says. But Ms. Lacroix Kenniff delivered a stinging indictment of Montreal-based charter Air Transat. "They really distinguish themselves for their horror stories," she said. "Air Transat has an attitude as a charter: Consider yourself lucky if you get from point A to point B." In her report, Ms. Lacroix Kenniff quoted several complaints about problems with lavatories on Air Transat flights. "The front cabin toilet overflowed and backed up," one complainant wrote. The smell forced first-class passengers back into economy class. Another complainant referred to "toilet paper and water and other sticky substances on the floor. The stench was analogous to an outhouse." The airline typically responded to complaints by offering $50 travel vouchers. Ms. Lacroix Kenniff said she was frustrated by the carrier's "apparent unwillingness" to deal with what she considered to be "systemic problems" with its aircraft. She eventually referred the matter to Health Canada. Complaints about unsanitary conditions have dropped significantly, she said. In a statement last night, Air Transat said it deplored Ms. Lacroix Kenniff's reference to what it called "an isolated incident" that happened two-and-a-half years ago. The company says it has a lower rate of complaints than most carriers in Canada. Air Transat fared better than the Russian national carrier, Aeroflot. Ms. Lacroix Kenniff's office received 38 complaints about Aeroflot from Canadian travellers, including one woman who tried and failed to get compensation when the airline changed the departure point of a return flight to Canada from New Delhi, India, to Bombay -- kilometres *************************************************** 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/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************