Air Canada is the dinosaur of airlines

The first airline I ever flew on was Air Canada in about 1960 when I went to visit my grandparents in Florida.  It was a thrilling experience that I'll never forget because we landed in a thunderstorm and I was pretty certain we were all going to die.  Since then I have flown perhaps another 1,000 flights, 1/2 of them on Air Canada.  Thank goodness I can use points I got with them on other Star Alliance members so I now fly ABAC (Anyone but Air Canada.)

I can say that over those 48 years that Air Canada has gone from a darling to a dinosaur.  The most recent media statement by Air Canada about its epic fail screw-ups over the Christmas holidays in Canada shows just how condescending this company can be in the face of adversity.  I just love the final line: " I trust this will put things in perspective." 

You want perspective Air Canada?  How about how you deal with pets, the disabled, weather,  baggage and pilots suffering a nervous breakdown in the cockpit (how the hell did that happen?) for starters?  How about the hundreds of complaints posted on my3cents.com.  A friend who just returned from Toronto and was one of the happier travelers because her flights actually left although hours late, called your employees the surliest people she has ever encountered anywhere, never mind a service industry.

You have over 50 years experience flying in winter conditions and you still manage to blow it every time there are more than a few centimetres of snow.  Having no communications with your customers who have stood in line for almost 24 hours is just plain negligence.  The airports were open and other airlines kept flying as you kept posting "canceled" on many of your flights particularly in Vancouver.

Here is a typical example of a comment about Air Chaos:

Ed
"Every year we hear of how WestJet does it's utmost to help it's passengers and how Air Canada doesn't. We also hear of how Air Canada is scared of the competition that WestJet is bringing to the air travel market while reducing "non-profitable routes".

To Air Canada... "Grow up and take a leaf from WestJet's manual. You are only getting what you deserve. For too long you were a Crown Corporation suckling at the public teat. You need a massive culture change."

They need more than a culture change Ed, they need to go the way of the dinosaur.  This is one company that most Canadians would not mind seeing go down the tubes.  If you're an Air Canada employee, perhaps you could get a job with whatever company took over the airline's operations.  Actually, probably not, because outside of the pilots, I doubt most of you have enough people skills to be hired by another airline.

After restructuring Air Canada in 2003, President Robert Milton said that airlines clinging to business models conceived in the 1970s or earlier would become the industry's "walking dead."   The stock market already has AC close to dead as it went from $12 a share a year ago to close at $1.80 Dec 31st.  In that same period WestJet stock went from $22 to $13. You're almost there Robert-you just don't know it yet but your ex-customers will ensure it.

Comments

[Roscoe Boscoe]

This joke I came across on the Internet made me laugh.

"A guy sitting at an airport bar in Atlanta noticed a beautiful woman sitting next to him. He thought to himself, "Wow, she's so gorgeous, she must be a flight attendant. But which airline does she work for?" Hoping to gain her attention, he leaned towards her and uttered the Delta Slogan "Love to fly and it shows?" She gave him a blank, confused stare and he immediately thought to himself, "Nope, not Delta." A moment later, another slogan popped into his head. He leaned toward her again, "Something special in the air?" She gave him the same confused look. He mentally kicked himself, and scratched American Airlines off the list. Next he tried the United slogan "I would really love to fly your friendly skies" This time the woman savagely turned on him. "Look @"*hole!! What the f#@! do you want?"
The man smiled. He slumped back in his chair satisfied and said... "Ahhh, Air Canada!"

[Crunchy]

My mom likened AC to some sort of Soviet/Communist airline...

Bring on the sheep and chickens and vodka