Air Canada Carry-On Baggage Blitz

[Lakelad]

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Air Canada carry-on crackdown blindsides passengers

Travelers may be buying ill-fitting luggage

Wed Oct 08, 2014 - CBC News
By Sophia Harris

Jane Ferland was shocked when an Air Canada agent tried to push her suitcase into a metal measuring cart and it didn’t fit.

“This is an official carry-on, that’s why I bought it,” said a baffled Ferland, who was at Toronto’s Pearson airport to catch a flight home to Vancouver.

Last week, Air Canada started a surprise trial crackdown on oversized carry-on a month before it begins charging $25 for the first checked bag for domestic, economy class travel. The fear and the likely reality is that some travellers will try to overload their carry-on to beat the new fee.

But the crackdown is frustrating and confusing many passengers who are stunned when their bags that have made it on-board before, don’t make the cut and must be checked.

“I love my little bag and it was expensive,” said a disappointed Ferland.

Size matters

New rules that charge customers $25 to check a bag have many people planning to cram more into carry-on luggage. So Air Canada is cracking down and some carry-ons aren't passing the test.

The bag's only crime was that it was just half an inch deeper than Air Canada’s nine-inch limit.

Ferland has a tag that came with her suitcase that states, “official carry-on.” But the fine print underneath warns the owner to check a specific airline’s rules. That’s because different carriers have different carry-on size restrictions.

Her bag would have passed a British Airways test; that airline allows a maximum depth of 10 inches.

Width and height limits also vary among carriers. For example, WestJet’s height limit is 21 inches, Air Canada's is 21.5 and Porter Airlines's limit is 22. Those measurements include a case's wheels and handle.

'There’s no word yet if the airline may also start weighing what you plan to take on board.'

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[DEFCON]

When air carriers demonstrate their lack of care for the consumer as with the 'carry-on' size discrepancies, things must be going too well financially.

[Thebean]

One quarter does not a year make.

[HST]

With the travelling publics patience being what it is these days, I wonder how long before this incident occurs here.

Carry on baggage dispute ends in an arrest.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/jetstar-luggage-crackdown-leads-to-sunshine-coast-arrest-20141008-1139u3.html

[Lakelad]

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Air Canada service agents call carry-on crackdown too unpleasant

Front-line staff want a say in who does crackdown duty

Fri Oct 31, 2014 - CBC News
By Sophia Harris - Business reporter

It’s been a month since Air Canada launched its carry-on crackdown where customer service agents stop and confront travellers at check-in to ensure their cabin bags meet size limits. Bags that don’t make the cut now must be checked.

The move has made some passengers hostile. And a number of agents find crackdown duty so unpleasant, they don’t want to do it, according to Air Canada service agent and union representative, Sheila Fardy.

And it may be about to get worse. This Sunday, Air Canada starts charging $25 for the first checked bag for domestic economy-class travel.

Fardy says Unifor, the union representing the agents, has asked the airline to recruit only willing volunteers to do the job which she describes as “horrible.” She says, generally, agents get to “bid” on customer service shifts with the most senior staff getting priority. But, so far, she adds, Air Canada won’t let workers have a choice in whether or not they are tasked with inspecting carry-on bags. Consequently, says Fardy, the union “will grieve it unless we can come to a solution.”

The crackdown has upset and even angered some passengers. “You have a lot of unhappy customers today,” a distressed traveller informed a stoic Air Canada agent after she learned her bag — which she’d taken on board for years — didn’t meet airline requirements and had to be checked.

Hard to cope

“Some agents are having quite a difficult time with [the job],” says Fardy, who works at Toronto’s Pearson airport — the first airport to tackle the crackdown.

"Some passengers have been quite abusive,” she says. “Passengers can be quite aggressive and swearing and stuff like that.”

As a lead agent, Fardy says colleagues have complained to her about the gig: “I've had people walk up to me and say, 'Sheila, I've been doing this for four hours, get me the frig out of here.'”

“People push by them, are rude, they invariably give you a list of all the other times I brought that [bag] on board an aircraft,” adds Fardy. She notes that most passengers are pleasant and co-operative but “the bad five per cent can make for a difficult day.”

Looking for volunteers

Fardy believes allowing workers to bid on the job would solve the problem. She says more junior staff would volunteer for the gig because they don’t have much say in their shifts and signing up for the job would give them more stability.

“Somebody with two years who doesn't have enough seniority to do anything, they'll take it,” explains Fardy. And, she adds, everyone benefits because “if somebody chooses it, they'll at least know what they're in for. They'll be less resentful.”

Air Canada says, so far, the crackdown has been “highly effective. We have had a great deal of positive feedback from customers who appreciate that [airline overhead bin] space is being apportioned more equitably,” says spokesperson, Peter Fitzpatrick.

CBC News repeatedly asked Fitzpatrick for a comment about the union’s request to allow workers to choose if they want to police carry-on bags. We did not receive a response in time for publication of this story.

'Why the anger?'

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[Kip Powick]

The customers don't care if the agents are "newbies" , (due to seniority), or OLGAs (Oldest Living Gate Agents), so the problem only lies with the CSA group. If there are not enough volunteers, then the CSA group has to decide how they want to fill the slots.

Why is this story even newsworthy?? Most airlines are charging for bags so it is no big deal to be following the trend and I am sure the customers will get over it. Such a pathetic attempt by the Press to further denigrate what some idiots still feel is a government subsidised airline.

Reality check and move on and finally, if the passenger is so upset the CSA agent should pleasantly inform them they have other air travel options,.............. as well as busses and rail

I am surprised that AC has not taken the lead and lowered the fuel surcharge...a bit...that would brighten the issue.....only a fool wouldn't realize that fuel prices have been declining for months now...and by nudging the fuel surcharge down perhaps AC could get some GOOD PR...... ....but then again the Press would be harping that the lower fuel surcharge wasn't enough.

[J.O.]

On the fuel surcharges, doesn't that somewhat depend on the price that they have contracted their fuel at (i.e.hedging)? If you're hedged at $89.00 and the market price is $75.00, you're still paying $89.00.

[dagger]

On the fuel surcharges, doesn't that somewhat depend on the price that they have contracted their fuel at (i.e.hedging)? If you're hedged at $89.00 and the market price is $75.00, you're still paying $89.00.

Airline hedges are very complicated, they often are created with ceiling and floor prices and rarely provide 100% protection or the upside or penalize you 100% when prices slide more than a prescribed amount.

[Lakelad]

From Q2/14 Financial Statements:

"As of June 30, 2014, approximately 40% of the Corporation's anticipated purchases of jet fuel for the remainder of 2014

are hedged at an average West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) equivalent capped price of US$106 per barrel. The

Corporation's contracts to hedge anticipated jet fuel purchases over the 2014 period are comprised of call options with

notional volumes of 5,418,000 barrels. The fair value of the fuel derivatives portfolio at June 30, 2014 is $28 in favour of

the Corporation (December 31, 2013 – $20 in favour of the Corporation) and is recorded within Prepaid expenses and

other current assets."

[st27]

Why doesn't the airline request Peel Regional to have a presence beside the agents?? They are on duty somewhere in the terminal anyway.

It would keep most passengers mouths in check.

[Boney]

Have a csa at security point out which bags are acceptable or not. Let's see what happens if the pax act up at security. Lol

[Super 80]

I have been flying United a lot lately, and they seem to be relaxing a little bit after going completely berzerk earlier this year. At DEN yesterday there was a ramper in the terminal at the gate gathering up bags to be gate checked and he didn't look to be collecting money or in communication with the gate agents. Although I have also seen regional CSA's all-along who very clearly do not care in the slightest and don't treat anything as oversized.

[Johnny]

This will fizzle out, we've seen this campaign before. The Embraer is the problem child, a Biz jet posing as an Airliner. Very limited bin space.

[Seeker]

This will fizzle out, we've seen this campaign before. The Embraer is the problem child, a Biz jet posing as an Airliner. Very limited bin space.

I think you might be confusing the RJ with the Embraer. One advantage the Embraer has is that there is no middle leg under the seat so a full size carryon can go sideways - it takes up leg room from two people but if you are travelling with another person you can put it kind of in the middle and each have a bit of legroom on either side. The biggest problem, I think, is the reluctance of people to actually use the room under the seat - the first people to board put all their carryons in the bin and nothing under their seat, the last people to board put one under the seat and can't find bin space for the other.

[Johnny]

I am usually confused seeker, but I can tell the two apart. On the EMB the problem starts in J class with 9 seats and 2 bins. You certainly are correct that people don't properly use the space under the seat.

I recently road on a Q400 and it is a huge improvement over both the RJ and the EMB.

[conehead]

I am usually confused seeker, but I can tell the two apart. On the EMB the problem starts in J class with 9 seats and 2 bins. You certainly are correct that people don't properly use the space under the seat.

I recently road on a Q400 and it is a huge improvement over both the RJ and the EMB.

Now you're confusing "road" with "rode".

Ha! Had to say it before Kip did...

[Seeker]

I am usually confused seeker, but I can tell the two apart.

I was referring to your statement that the Embraer was a bizjet posing as an airliner - that's the RJ. The Embraer is larger than a DC-9 and within 1000 lbs max TO weight of a 737-200.