A traveler is angry at Air Canada Aeroplan, because her Air India business class seat was broken on an award ticket, among other things. Is there merit to this complaint, or is the frustration misdirected?
Traveler angry at Aeroplan over schedule change, broken seat
Twitter/X user @MittalDevika tagged me in a complaint she has about a recent Air Canada Aeroplan award redemption, for travel in Air India business class from Tokyo to Delhi. You can find her series of social media posts below, but to summarize:
- She booked an Air India business class award from Tokyo to Delhi using Aeroplan points, and claims she was never informed that the schedule for her flight changed, as the departure moved from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport
- She only found out upon reaching the airport (how frustrating!!!), so had to spend $431 for “emergency transport,” in order to not miss her flight
- When she boarded her flight, she found her business class seat was broken, and there was no recline, no leg rest, no power outlet, and “no apology from Air Canada”
- She “paid for a premium experience,” but “got the experience of a middle seat on a budget airline”
- When she contacted Air Canada with full documentation, their response was “not our fault,” “we forwarded your case to Air India,” and “here’s a $200 (Canadian $ coupon), don’t email again,” with “no refund of miles or apology”
- She finishes with “this isn’t just about me,” and that when you use Aeroplan points, “you expect the airline to take responsibility for your ticket, even if it’s a codeshare,” and “passing the buck to the operating airline is unacceptable,” and “travelers deserve better”
I’m sympathetic, but the anger seems misdirected
The way I view it, there are two separate issues here — the lack of schedule change notification, and the onboard problems on Air India. They’re very different issues. I totally understand this traveler’s frustrations — how crappy to arrive at the wrong airport, and also how unfortunate to find your seat broken on a long haul flight.
Regarding the first point, yes, there’s absolutely an obligation for a traveler to be notified of a schedule change. The traveler claims she never received notice of this, which is obviously an issue. That being said, the challenge is that sometimes emails end up in spam folders, etc.
When you redeem points for an award ticket entirely on another airline and there’s a schedule change, the operating airline pushes the schedule change to the ticketing airline, and once the itinerary is “cleaned up,” a new receipt should go out.
There are always things that can go wrong and reasons a traveler may not see the email. So not to blame the traveler here, but there’s an important lesson to be learned — always check the status of your flight leading up to your departure. Always. Every time. Without exception. I imagine that most frequent travelers know this, and I can understand how some less frequent travelers might assume it’s not necessary. But it really is. I couldn’t imagine booking a ticket months in advance, and never once checking on the status, until showing up at the check-in counter.
It’s another reason that as soon as I book an award ticket on a partner airline, I’ll also go to the website of the operating carrier, and sign up for any email alerts about the itinerary, so that I potentially receive schedule change notifications from two parties.
It’s the second issue that’s a bit more clear cut, though. If you redeem Aeroplan points for Air India business class, and if Air India fails to deliver, that’s an issue you need to take up with Air India. The traveler seems to be confused here on several fronts. This wasn’t a codeshare flight (not that this would even make a difference), and she says that “passing the buck to the operating airline is unacceptable.”
Like, if Aeroplan is responsible for the condition of Air India aircraft, maybe Aeroplan should just block Air India awards, based on the frequency of complaints. Compensation claims absolutely should be taken up with the operating airline, rather than the airline that let you redeem points for a ticket. After all, Air Canada wouldn’t even have access to whatever has been documented regarding issues onboard a flight.
So yeah, if you ask me — this is an expensive lesson to learn about always checking the status of your flight leading up to departure. And she absolutely should receive compensation from Air India for a broken seat.
Bottom line
A traveler redeemed Air Canada Aeroplan points for Air India business class from Tokyo to Delhi, and encountered some serious issues. She arrived at Narita, only to find that her flight was actually departing from Haneda, causing her to spend $431 on a taxi between the two airports, in order to not miss the flight. Then once onboard, she found the cabin to be in horrible condition, with an inoperable seat.
These are both legitimate frustrations. Regarding the onboard seat issues, that’s 100% on Air India, and it’s not Air Canada’s place to compensate for that. Regarding the schedule change notification, it’s hard to know for sure if Aeroplan sent a notification, and she just didn’t see it, or if it actually wasn’t sent. Regardless, it’s an important reminder to always check your flight status before departure.
Regardless, I think this is a bit of an extreme case of “this isn’t just about me,” and of holding Air Canada executives accountable. I think more important would be to hold Air India executives accountable for the incredibly poor maintenance of their aircraft, years after being privatized.
What do you make of this complaint about an Aeroplan award ticket on Air India?
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