The problem with air canada is the unions. Do you know that they cannot give their name to anyone so we know whose name to put down when complaining. They told me "union rules". Only the poor managers can give names because they aren't part of the union and can get fired.

Get rid of the unions in Air Canada to bring the wages to a competitive level and allow management to fire the insolent employees and get ones that want to work.

I used to fly exclusively Air Canada, now I avoid them like the plague. I recently decided to remove almost 100% off flying travel from my business. My employees conduct online meetings unless the meeting is whitin driving distance.

I would like to teach the airline industry a lesson. The costumers should not be an interuption of their work, since we the costumers are the reason they have work in the first place.

@aircanada I experienced bad customer service with Air Canada. For the complete details please see http://bit.ly/c1lx2U thank you.

It's a hurricane Earl; Westjet preemptively cancelled all flight out of Halifax. What on earth is Air Canada waiting for? Can I sue the company to forcing me flying in a storm? Can I sue the company for causing excessive anxiety for me to for my flight?

I've flown on AC a ton, almost exclusively for work, almost esclusively in the cheap seats. I never fly with them when I'm paying. (I usually use United for the cheap flights, although they screw ya with the overbooking, or American Airlines, cause they don't generally seem to suck as bad as the rest of them. But that's like being the most gentle rapist.)

AC's FA's are a mixed bag, as far as I've seen; young people who are friendly and don't hate life yet, and older folks clearly unhappy with their lot and willing to share the vibe.

Sure the inflight 'service' is awful, but it usually seems to be no matter who you fly with anymore. Sure, their prices are 3x what other airlines charge if you don't book 9 months in advance, which is why I only fly with them cause the company is paying for it; they have resonable coverage domestically.

I agree that AC should sink or swim as the market dictates, and encourage people to vote with their dollars. If we don't fly with these stinkers, they'll go away eventually, unless the Conservatives piss more of our $$ away bailing out their corporate friends.

It's funny to see people trumpeting these stupid 'best airline' awards, as if real people actually voted on it... idiotic in-house industry polls don't really count, next time you want a real opinion ask some of the people crammed onto an AC plane how they rate it, or better yet some of the poor sob's they stranded in the airport...

They are the worst airline ever and the Canadian government helps/gives them Canadian tax payer money. There are real nightmare stories about this airline. They hide all their important numbers deliberately to avoid complaints. They lose baggage on a massive scale. They have rude and unprofessional staff who are like this because of their terrible working conditions and the way Air Canada treats them. Their lost baggage claims centre is in India where you get no answers and nothing can be done. They screwed up three flights in front of me once and I hear complaints about them all the time. They have politicians in their pocket; if they didn't Canadians would have the choice of using other airlines.

yeah right! flight attendents are some of the snobbiest and rudest people on the planet. I took the flight out to Vancouver once, and the back two rows (3 seats wide) were completely empty. So I went back there to lay down to sleep and I found that the food trays were down and there was a lunch bag on one of the seats. I was wondering what the hell was going on, but I put the trays up to lay down and the flight attendent said "excuse me, but that is where we rest on the flights. WTF?!?! Rude and lazy! These days commercial flight attendants have no respect for the customers (obviously) but even their job! I flew first class once, and they were actually nice (which may be the policy, which is messed up). Seriously, screw Air Canada!!!

Personally, I'd have to agree with all of the nay-sayers on this website who bash Air Canada for it's rude service, contrarily however, I have to admit that I enjoy it quite a bit. I fly probably 10-12 times a year with this airline and can't get enough of the flight attendants, their attention to detail (kerchiefs tied so tightly around their neck there is probably little to no blood flow, their scowly faces done up to perfection) and their idea of professionalism is to be as despicably horrible to everyone they come in contact with as possible. This is probably the most entertaining thing I've ever seen. In no other customer service industry could this or would this be acceptable, though we entrust these flight attendants to help us to our respective destinations safely and so we attribute their rude qualities to their pursuit of our safety. There is something captivating about the way these flight attendants address you as though you are the scum of the earth, somehow this kind of redress is inimitable and outrageous. What is better? I always fly business class. Haha maybe I'm just a masochist but I think this airline is going in the right direction.

Mr Hirsh doesn't seems to know the difference between a full service international airline, a regional airline and a defunct airline. The comparisons between Westjet, Porter and Air Canada is like comparing apple and oranges. Comparing Air Canada with the long gone Wardair and Canadian Airlines is not worth the efforts. These airlines are gone because they couldn't make any profits. Air Canada has to survive. Everybody wants the best fare and the exquisite food on international flights. Then try an international carrier like Delta, United, Air France or Lufthansa and you will then be able to make a real analysis... Until then Mr researcher..

Air Canada employs some 24,000 people and puts some 12 billion dollars each year into the Canadian economy. The question I pose to all the AC naysayers is, "if not Air Canada, then who will connect the 32 million passengers they fly each year?" Is it in Canada's best interest to let AC fail, and open up all routes to the likes of AA, Delta, or whomever to do the job? And speaking of jobs, where will this new airline fix its planes, train its pilots n' flight crews, or purchase its consumables and equipment? I can bet you one thing, it WON'T be in Canada .

Their jobfairs are just as bad. You get mixed signals whaen it comes to their interaction skills during the recruitment process. The first time I went to one I was still in high school, which automatically ruled me out as an unlikely candidate. The process was quick non-the-less; I stood in a long line up (in my heels) for what felt like the better half of an hour. My interviewer was really nice and very professional; I even remember their name.
Unlike the above mentioned, my last attempt (and will probably remain) was absolutely disgraceful. We were all hearded like cattle! and forced to wait an excruciating 2 hours for every time the line budged. The space was exceedingly cramped and the temperature was more than 80 degrees (I happened to be standing next to the thermostat). People were getting frustrated to the point where they were forcing their way to the front of the line (and infront of people who had been waiting since the morning). People were turning beet-red and fainting. It had been almost 8 hours before I was finally interviewed.
Just my luck! I happened to be interviewed by someone who clearly didn't understand English and who would have rather much preferred that the interview be in french. they would ask me a question that I was more than prepared for; as I answered it, they'd cut me off. They'd tell me that the answer I was giving them wasn't one they wanted to hear and to "hurry up and answer because the have oher people to interview" - DISGUSTING!(literally - I'm not kidding!!!)
The interview was pretty much along the lines of 'you hate your job... tell me what you hate about it and why'
I was in such shock and disbelief. I couldn't believe that I was being ordered to not only bash my past employers, but to lie about it in the process!

when they finally decided to ask me if I had any questions I asked: "This is a vey popular position to apply for. Tell me what you enjoy most about your job"
the response i got was as follows: "I get to meet amazing people (repeated three more times to make a sentence)... (lull)"
I then asked if they ever had to deal with anything that was too dificult to handle while on duty. the response was, "I can handle anything because of my amazing training"
at this point they were pissed off because I put them on the spot with the same questions that they themself could not answer. They thanked me for their time and told me to leave.
So to any of you recruiters out there, or even those of you who are considering the extra over-time pay, think to yourself "do I really love my job enough to be here?" cause if you don't then you should change careers.

Here is what a valid sample of clients had to say about Air Canada.

December 2009
Air Canada won four top honours in Business Traveler magazine’s “Best in Business Travel” annual reader survey, the most first place awards won by any airline:

Best Flight Attendants in North America
Best In-flight Services in North America
Best Airline North American Airline for Business Class Service
Best North American Airline for International Travel.
Air Canada voted “Best Airline in Canada” and “Best Airline in North America”, by the readers of Global Traveler magazine in its annual survey of business travelers.

December 2008

Air Canada was awarded three top honours in Business Traveler magazine’s “Best in Business Travel” award program:

Best In-flight Service in North America
Best Airline for Business Class Service in North America
Best North American Airline for International Travel

Readers of Executive Travel magazine voted Air Canada as their choice for the “Best Airline to Canada”.

February 2008

Air Canada's new Executive First Suites have been selected as one of the world's top ten business class seats by the prestigious U.K. newspaper, The Times, in its online edition.

Air Canada voted “Best Airline in North America” and “Best Air line in Canada” by the readers of the Global Traveler magazine.
Air Canada voted favourite airline by Canadian travel agents in the influential 2007 Agents' Choice Award survey conducted by Baxter Travel media.

June 2005
Air Canada was voted the “Best Airline in North America” in a recent Skytrax survey of more than 12 million air travellers worldwide.

I flew on Air Canada (AC) from New York to Geneva, Switzerland with a connection in Montreal. This was not a pleasure trip but was due to my 89 year old mother falling and breaking her foot. Pictures are on link below (copy the link and paste it):

http://s449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/semsem1234/Air Canada/

I chose Air Canada because:

1. They don't charge for a second suitcase.British Airways charge as high as $75 I believe.
2. They were $100 cheaper than Swiss; however Swiss fly nonstop.
3. I get full mileage credit on my United mileage plus account.
4. The ticket is valid 3 months with a change of date fee of $150. This compares to as high as $250 on Lufthansa.

Newark to Montreal: Check in was quick and efficient at Newark. AC use smaller Canadair and Embraer commuter aircraft between New York and Montreal / Toronto. These planes have less room and are somewhat noisy. All that is served on this sector are nuts and a drink.

As I checked in I was calm and relaxed knowing that I had 3 hours connection time in Montreal. I noticed that the flight to Toronto was delayed for 1 hour due to bad weather between the US and Canada.

Our flight was delayed by 2 1/2 hours. And even though it was clear we would miss our connection no effort was made to put us on another flight to Europe from Newark; for example Lufthansa had a flight to Munich.

I was upgraded to Business Class; 3 seats instead of 4. We were served nuts and a drink on a 1 hour 15 minute flight. When we arrived a wagon was waiting to rush us to the gate. We had to pass Canadian Customs which was quick. However the door to the gates was shut and by looking at the board, I realised that my flight to Geneva had just left 5 minutes ago.

I had to wait in line about 30 minutes to pass passport control and then pick up my luggage. It was already 10 PM by now. I was offered a hotel room and $30 in vouchers for dinner, breakfast and lunch. I was put on an 8 pm flight to Frankfurt resulting in a 2 PM arrival in Geneva; 28 hours late.

I asked the agent "what about routing me through Zurich?", as I knew AC are partners with Swiss Airlines. She looked at me as if I was an idiot. "Why would you want to go through Zurich?" Later I found out that had she routed me on Swiss Airlines I would have gotten to Geneva at 8AM instead of 2 PM and avoided Frankfurt Airport which is a terrible airport. Long walks, confusing signeage and slow, slow, slow security personel who work in "slow motion" with insufficient staff.

Gripe 1: No effort was made in Newark to get us to Europe the next day.
Gripe 2: No effort was made in Montreal to get me to Geneva as quickly as possible.

Air Canada are in the same alliance as Lufthansa and Swiss and in fact code share with Swiss from Montreal. So they should have transferred us to Lufthansa at Newark or at least put me on Swiss from Montreal. Their aim is to keep you on Air Canada no matter what.

I was put up at the Hilton Gardens near the airport. It was a nice hotel and I was lucky. Others were put up at the Travellodge, a 40 year old hotel which did not look all that nice.

Montreal to Frankfurt: The plane was a 777. The seats were comfortable, good legroom, good entertainment system which was easy to use. The crew were well groomed and very friendly. They also gave us a newspaper.

Mood lighting: this is the "new thing." Low lighting which in our case was bluish. Interesting but what I did not like was that they put it on the moment you board. I want to full lighting till after dinner. I find a dark cabin depressing unless it's sleep time.

Meal: Mediocre. Beginning salad and main dish were acceptable. But the desert was a cheap chocolate brownie which tased disgusting. Also no cheese with the meal which I always like as it fills me up with the bread. I would have thought that a flight operating from "French Quebec" would have some cheese.

Breakfast was very good. A large banana muffin with delicious coffee
from a company called "Second Cup." In fact it was so good I had a "second cup."

The return trip:

Geneva to Montreal: The plane was a 767. I had changed my return date twice for a fee of $150 for each change. Even though AC only operate 4 times a week I was impressed that they accepted to change the return dates without paying even more.

The seating was comfortable. However the seat pocket in front of me had not been cleaned. I found a dirty napkin, plastic and in the seat pocket next to me a dirty stirer.

Though my flight was in mid November the in flight magazine was from October. Three seats away I found a November issue.

The meal was again mediocre: edible salad and main dish. The desert was disgusting. A milky creamy white liquid with a peach. The peach was edible. Again no cheese. I was not very satisfied.

The snack was insufficient for an 8 hour flight. A small spinach thingy mig gig with not much spinach in it.

Montreal to New York: I had to pass US Customs in Montreal which I don't like. I prefer to do that in New York. We had to wait a lot. You don't get to see the suitcases. They take a picture of the suitcases.

The flight was in a small Embraer commuter plane; noisy and bumpy. Somwhat narrow seats.

Lost suitcase: I arrived in New York and to my lovely surprise one suitcase was missing. After 2 months Air Canada informed me that the suitcase is now officially lost. At the beginning I had to communicate with agents in India who had no clue what was going on. I gave up bothering calling them.

I am convinced that the suitcase was stolen. I had a permanent leather address tag on the top handle and 2 paper address tags; one was Air Canada and the other American Airlines. And on the side I had another American Airlines tag.

Though I had $4,500 worth of clothes / shoes / coats in the suitcase, Air Canada wrote me the following letter.

1. They are liable for up to $1,600 in losses as per the Warsaw Convention.
2. Because I could only proove a few hundred dollars of purchases from my receipts, they would only offer me $1,167 and 41 cents.
I love the 41 cents. Question: Who keeps 5 years of receipts on clothes they buy. Pathetic excuse.
3. I admitted in my application that I had Homeowners Insurance. So I was told by Air Canada to go to my own insurance company.

They made it seem as if it was my fault that the suitcase was lost. It reminded me of rape victims who get blamed for getting raped.

Conclusion: I don't consider Air Canada to be in the "major leagues." True the weather delay was not their fault but the lack of any attempt to get me to Geneva as quickly as possible was.

Losing a bag can happen but to lose it "permanently" is to me unbelievable. It happens very rarely. In fact I don't know anybody who has gone through this experience. They usually find the lost suitcases after a few days.

I had stress in both directions.

The people who work for this airline, the ground crew, air crew and reservations agents were all great; (except for the employee who may have stolen my suitcase, though I have no proof of that); I don't think I will risk flying with them again even if I get a free ticket.

To have to replace all my stuff is going to be a tremendous hassle. Because I thought I may have to stay as long as 2 months I had taken all my nice things with me.

Lesson: Buy sufficient luggage insurance as you never know what can happen.
Try to fly nonstop if you can. It greatly reduces the risk of lost luggage.
Pass Customs at your final destination not in between; in Canada in my case. It also reduces the risk of lost luggage.

I could not agree anymore with Jesse on the statement that their employees are "totally miserable". I have flown numerous times in the last 10 years with both AC and WestJet. The difference between the two companies is very real and a stark contrast. The difference is even more apparent when you're in need of some added compromises (ie. running a bit late, needing explanation for delays, and assistance on the plane). It would seem Air Canada is filled with the most bitter, unfriendly, and jaded people in Canada. They are so miserable and unwilling to help at times that it's almost like they're not Canadian at all. I have given that company several chances to make up for their BS services, lame excuses, and bitter attitudes. Now, the only time I fly with AC is to places WestJet doesn't fly.

The only other company in Canada that can compete with Air Canada for the worse service imaginable is Telus. These two companies hands down are the worse Canadian corporations to deal with. I will love to see Air Canada go under and close their doors so that no one ever has to deal with such a sorry bunch of miserable folks!

Yes AC does indeed suck!!! They absolutely have not customer service whatsoever!!! They never take accountability for their wrong doing but quick to blame their affiliates and you as a customer! Really bad experience from them and will never be flying with them ever again! I used to fly with them a lot in the past and stopped becuase of their lack of customer service and tried them again and still the same!!!

Fly WestJet!!! They are the best and they go above and beyond to make sure that you are happy, and follow up with an e-mail to see if everything was fine. Other airlines that I would recommend is JAL and Cathy!!! I am a frequent flyer and love to travel the world, and by far AC is one of the worst, along with AA.

Yes it does suck! My friend needed to fly from NYC to Toronto, got a ticket well ahead of time and was told "no seat reservations possible unless plane is less than 80% full, try again at the airport. In the meantime you're assigned to a middle seat in the rear of the plane".

At the airport she learned that the plane was not even half full. She tried to reserve a seat at the airport. The Air Canada rep woman she spoke to said "oh yes, we have a window seat available, would you like that?" My friend said, "Yes!". The rep called her 'friend' and chatted for a while. Then she hung up and told my friend, "Sorry, that's seat isn't available anymore".

Did it become unavailable while this rep was on the phone??? What kind of third-rate, stinking airline is this????

After 5 hours of flight the Pilot told the passengers through the intercom that "the plane can not land in Bogota due to a pressure problem, and if it did it would explode" yeah those are the literal words of a pilot who seems to not care about scaring the passengers. The next action of this briliant pilot was to return to Toronto, another 5 hours away, instead of landing in any other of the thousands of posible sea level airports in the caribbean, south america and florida (Bogota is 2600 meters above sea level). Furthermore, upon returning to Toronto, the AC staff where incredibly rude, unhelpfull, and uncooperative. AC is a terrible airline.

The reason why AC "sucks" is simply their employees. Recently updated AV system is fine, but flight attendants need to be let go. All of them. They are old, bitter and rude. Well who wouldn't be after working as a flight attendant for more than 5 years. When you look at Airlines like Emirates, notice that there is no one with gray hair or obese. Emirates flight attendants sign a contract for 3 years which can be extended upon review. And there is no union. Young women/men take the job as something of an adventure for a few years and then move on to a real job. And this is the strategy that AC should adopt as well if it wants to remain competitive:
1. Dismantle unions.
2. Force flight attendants to retire within 6 years.
3. Cap the age of flight attendants to 35 max.
This is what successful airlines do!
Instead, AC flight attendants form a union and constantly bitch about the working conditions ... and stick around until 70!!! Please tell me why would anybody stick around for 6+ years as a flight attendant? Get a real job you bums!!! Let the new generation of young women (or men) have their little adventure. Fresh young employees, full of optimism = GREAT SERVICE! Get it?

Jesse,
Just came across your blog for the first time, love this one on Air Canada! Can you imagine living in New Brunswick and the one and only airline that is available to you is 'Air Canada'. It's nothing short of horrid to the point that you just don't want to go anywhere, but then it gets so cold in the winter, you just have to break out! We use to have Canadian and Air Atlantic (which was fantastic) with a direct flight from Saint John to Boston, in the 90’s, one hour, awesome! $189 Return, use to go once a month (love Boston). Air Canada put on a huge seat sale and kept the price very low, undercutting Air Atlantic until they put them under. Then miraculously, can you believe it, they double the price, what a surprise! It that's not bad enough, let's add insult to injury with the fact that the only way we can now get state side is to fly through Halifax, Montreal or Toronto. Want to hit Florida for a few weeks, well first you have to fly 1200 north and pay through the nose and then after another 2 hours wait you start to head south! Friends call me from Toronto with, “Great sale on, $99 to Miami. Then I remind them that Air Canada will charge us between $650 and $1200 to first get to Toronto to then head south!!!! Not much of a deal.
Coming back from Las Vegas two weeks ago, my TV didn't work at all. Four and a half hours, good thing I had a great book. The stewardess solution was to not charge me for their cheep headset! I was about as impressed as I usually am with them.
The real experience for Canadians is going anywhere near the Toronto airport. All airport staff in Toronto airport are absolutely miserable and doing their best to make everyone as miserable as them! We try to avoid it like the plague going through Montreal in stead, much better.
For people heading south from the east we find it best to drive to Bangor Maine and get a direct flight. It's worth the 2 or 3 hour drive to avoid Air Canada. We hear they're going under and hoping the government let's them go. It really won't matter what airline takes it over, anything will be a tremendous improvement and they'll still have to hire Canadians but let hope some of the requirements are a personality and a smile!!!!!

Do you know how dumb you are? 90% of the people you see now with AC uniforms on are former CP employees. Their pension was so bad they all have to stay until age 70. Think of all the CP jobs that were saved by AC taking over their debt! AC has almost gone broke twice - the first time when CP was aquired with all it's debt and lately because of that same albatross. Do you not get it that the employees of the original AC have suffered beyond compare? I am one of them! I left in 2002 because it was so tough to fly with the former CP in light of the animosity and fear of losing our jobs to safe another carrier. Ther is much more but I won't waste my time trying to convert an AC hater who has no clue what happened!

I fly a lot. Always Elite and some years Super elite. Mostly international. Often in Exec. AC are fine. Better than most. It seems to be a national passtime to dis AC. There are some airlines that are better (Singapore and JAL come to mind) but there are many more who are way worse (British, Qantas, Malaysia to name a few). Lighten up!

As a former employee of Air Canada, the above comments are not new to me. I had the pleasure of working as a flight attendant for two years following graduation. During this time I learnt so much, and I firmly believe that if all young people had the chance to experience this work environment the world would be a better place.
I agree that there are many flaws with the company, but there are many positive elements as well. Most people do not fly very often, but come to the plane prepared with many negative expectations, because it is Air Canada. From my personal experience many young flight attendants who started with positive attitudes and a strong willingness to help travellers soon lost their drive. I was proud to provide excellent customer service as well as emergency health care. Air Canada provides nearly twice the amount of safety training as Westjet, and puts safety at the top of their priority list. I agree that customer service is lacking in many of the old timers,(which Westjet does not have because it is a new company!) but most of my colleagues went above and beyond every single flight.
The most shocking thing for me is how frequently I hear friends complain about delayed or cancelled flights. If your flight is delayed or cancelled it is because of one reason 99% of the time, and that is safety. If you plan to fly through the air at 500km/hr in a metal tube I certainly would hope that you cared about weather (snow/lightning storms) and condition of the aircraft. Of all the times in your life to be 'better safe than sorry' air travel should be on that list.
A flight attendant can be your most important resource on a flight. We travel a lot and usually can offer excellent tips for your destination. While we don't have control over what food is served onboard, possible turbulence encountered en route, your luggage situation,(we ONLY pack carry-on,) or in flight movie selection, your temporary travel arrangement is our work environment and it should be no surprise that we all want it to be as pleasant as possible.

Air Canada is one of the world's lamest airlines. Period.

Many moons ago, I had the misfortune of flying from Narita to Vancouver on Air Canada. I was the second person in line waiting to get boarding passes. With my wife by my side I was told that there were no "2 seats together on the flight". I was the 2nd person in line! This was before you could pick seats over the internet. I raised a stink and they found the 2 seats together which was a physical impossibility only moments earlier. Since that day, I have been on the Air Can'tada shit list. I'm always called to the desk to "identify myself" and there are always problems when I check in. Lamentably, Air Canuckistan is the only airline I can take direct from Tokyo to Canada. Going to the US is a sham, joke, pain in the ass, beyond soul destroying.

Of course, the soon-to-go-blind-uber-intense-boner-inducing-60 year old chain smokingesque stewardesses throwing whatever slop in front of you that was some kind of sustenance were always so helpful. The non-stop useless French updates are totally retarded. I'm the only non-Asian on the plane and they insist with disturbing your sleep with informing you that "Mesdames et messieurs, il y a la Turbulence. blah blah blah hon hon hon." fuck off already. Not to mention the CBC "news".

Everytime I have to actually take that shit airline, I take the advice of the Ramones and get as heavily sedated as I can. Whether its beer, pot, asprin, morphine, whatever.

Before some douche puts down his donut to run to the defence of one of the idustrialised world's worst airlines, I have flown on almost ever major carrier there is. Cathay is one of the best. So is Singapore. JAL is good as is Emrates. Air Canada is up there with Mongolian Air and East China Air, where the seats fly forward during landing and Coke cans are used to cover holes on the wings.

Air Canada sucks balls and all their staff chew on the short n' curlys.