Guest Go Around Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 As an Air Canada front line employee, if you had been face to face with this individual and had the authority to make a decision on the spot, what would it have been? Throw out the rule book and lets hear what your decision would have been based only on compassion, being fair, and the desire to contribute positively to the operation of a respected, and successful airline. Lets assume the passengers story is completely true. Go nuts, you have the power!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 I don't want to be a pessimistic person but why are we starting with the assumption that the passengers story is completely true? seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Go Around Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Since we can't prove it one way or another on this forum we have to make the assumption in order to enter into any meaningful discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I think it may be better to assume that this person is like the rest of the human race - that is: when faced with a situation that presents a negative outcome for them most people attempt to cajole, manipulate or intimidate ( in varying degrees ) in order to turn things in their favour. And if this doesn't work people tend to feel as if their unique situation and particular circumstances have been discounted. It's either that or the cold heartless ticket agent at Air Canada tried to prevent her from seeing her father one last time. Which seems more plausible? seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest manwest Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 The passenger was to return on May 14. The passenger returned by her own means May 4. Her father died on May 12. Her fathers doctor tried to intervene. Yes this looks like a passenger scam to me, for we all know every AC employee goes above and beyond when it comes to customer service. That Air Canada agent should be ashamed of themself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Your biases are well known to the regulars here Not at all surprising to see you weigh in against Air Canada, THE EVIL EMPIRE. Quite a accomplishment for the HR dept though, you must agree - to be able to find and hire only those who can be uncompassionate and uncaring. According to the critics thay have been very successful too - not a single sympathetic employee to be found anywhere! seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Your biases are well known to the regulars here. Not at all surprising to see you weigh in against Air Canada, THE EVIL EMPIRE. Quite a accomplishment for the HR dept though, you must agree - to be able to find and hire only those who can be uncompassionate and uncaring. According to the critics thay have been very successful too - not a single sympathetic employee to be found anywhere! seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest manwest Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 What you call bias, I call opinion. None the less that person should be ashamed. But of course, in your eyes all reporters are most likely biased against Air Canada too. Oh hold on I am sorry, you must be the Air Canada minister of misinformation. Pardon me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 You can't be an AC employee because if you are...God help the rest of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 What are you reading into my post that would make you say that? seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Your negativity about people in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Go Around Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Seeker seems feel the incident could have been a scam. Therefore assume it is rather than give the customer the benefit of the doubt. Is that what happened? Still, no-one has replied to the original question. How would you have handled it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hawkeye Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Seeker, In our society, I thought one was innocent until proven guilty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CJ Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I can't belive the pissing contest that this question began, and still no answer. If I were the agent and had the same situation, It would be my pleasure to accomadate this lady. If there is a seat on the flight she needs she goes. Her father was dying, who cares what ticket she bought. If there is an available seat why wouldn't you want to help someone in a time of great stress. It should be a non issue in circumstances of berevement. If I were Queen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hawkeye Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 "I think it may be better to assume that this person is like the rest of the human race - that is: when faced with a situation that presents a negative outcome for them most people attempt to cajole, manipulate or intimidate ( in varying degrees ) in order to turn things in their favour." In fact, this is exactly what some of the AC pilot group did, when they did not like the outcome of the Picher Binding Arbitration Award Ruling. I do not, as seeker does, assume that rest of the Human Race is full of evil deeds for their own self interests & gains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hawkeye Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 CJ, I couldn't agree with you more. If I were that agent, I would have above and beyond to get this lady on the earliest flight. I have seen on a couple of occasions in the past where the agent has asked another passenger to give up their seat because of these same circumstances. The Passenger was more than willing to help. Very simple, now we have turned away i'm sure, another future traveller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 No. No. NO. I did not say that I thought it was a scam. You resurrected this thread and said let's assume that the passenger is a saint and AC is evil - that's what I took issue with. The way that you want to set the start point for discussion. Do you really think that the agents involved in this are incapable of compassion? Here's my take on the situation: the pax bought a heavily discounted bereavment fare ticket something like 3 weeks advance and then needed to travel sooner. The problem here seems to be with AC's policy. Not it's policy on changes but rather it's policy that allows tickets like this to be bought so far in advance. My understanding of bereavment is that you got a phone call late at night and need to travel now, not 3 weeks from now. If the window for buying these tickets was smaller, say 3 or 4 days advance, the problems of how to accommodate changes would disappear too. As for what should have happened in this case: I really don't think that you can arm-chair quarterback it. The call centre does this every day and probably has a much better sense of what is appropriate. They aren't any different from you or I over there, you know. Just a bunch of hard working Canadians, or do you choose to believe, like manwest, that AC has cornered the market on the ill-tempered employee. seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 My negativity? Go around wants us to frame our discussion with the idea that the pax is totally correct and that the AC call centre staff aren't. Do you think that's possible, or is it more likely that the facts have been distorted a bit in the telling? Honestly, I don't know, but my experience in dealing with people is that you don't always get complete objectivity. especially if the press is involved. seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Fine, so the call centre staff should also be accorded this but in the court of public opinion, administered by the press, they haven't been. seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 As I stated earlier, what about standby privileges? Would it not be a solution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AME Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 It's easy to make the call after the fact, but, what if this was the third "My father is dying" for the agent that day??? The rules for compassionate travel are there to prevent abuse of the system, otherwise anyone who wanted to change their ticket would claim a family emergency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CJ Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 perhaps a simple fax from the fathers attending doctor. There must be a simple way of verifiying (sp) a critical family situation. Why not in these circumstances allow some flexibility. Why rush to your fathers funeral, wouldn't it be reasonable to want to see him before he died. I think if there was an available seat on the Aircraft why not let the lady go. I personaly would want to do everything I could to make this ladies day easier. Remember she was a single mother, not in a position to pay another 800 dollars, I think its a ridiculous amount to pay to change a ticket in a family emergency. IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsgas Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Seeker the outcome could of gone two ways. 1- The AC agent accepts the pax at face value and allows her to fly with a ticket that was fully paid for but doesn't meet all the rules.Outcome a bum occupies a seat on an airplane and no one is hurt. 2- The AC agent denies the pax a seat on an airplane because some people do lie.Outcome the pax finds another mode of transportation,not giving AC a nickle more and produces thousands of $ of negative publicity against AC at a time when AC needs all the goodwill that it can get.Not a good business practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 tsgas: I'm not so much commenting on the whether the pax was being truthfull about the her need to travel but rather about her description of her attempt to change the ticket. Obviously, her father did die shortly after she arrived home so the need was there. The reason I jumped in here is because Go Around wanted to start with the idea that AC was wrong and the pax was a saint as a given. I don't accept this. seeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AME Posted May 23, 2003 Share Posted May 23, 2003 In this case, you're right, however in the past I "Hung" with the agents and even particiated in a job shadow program, and I can tell you first hand that people will say almost anything to try and avoid the change fees etc... because they purchased a discount ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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