Air Canada

Not Verified | Yeah, so never again Air Canada. You've proven yourselves money grubbing, unreliable, and the opposite of a pleasure to deal with. Current case in point. Looking at the available seats on my flight under the guise of a new booking. 40% empty plane, it will allow me to select any of those seats at an excessive fee. 1 minute later as check in opens, I am offered 2 middle seats at the rear of the plane. Did 75 people just rush to beat me at the exact second check in opened? No, Air Canada is punishing me for not forking over $50 USD to select a seat and is hiding the rest from me so they can continue to do the same to every other person checking in. Air Canada is pathetic. I'm done. Never again.

✅ Trip Verified |   As a loyal Aeroplan member who has frequently flown with Air Canada, my recent experience on Flight AC824 from Toronto to Madrid on September 29, 2024, was disappointing and costly. Due to a 5-hour delay, I arrived in Madrid far later than expected, causing me to lose my pre-booked car rental. This disruption forced me to secure another vehicle, incurring an unexpected additional expense of $395.53. When I submitted a claim to Air Canada explaining the situation and the costs I had to bear as a direct result of their delay, I was disappointed to receive a denial with no acknowledgment or support. While I understand that delays are sometimes unavoidable, I feel it’s crucial for airlines to take accountability, especially when those delays lead to significant inconvenience and unexpected costs for their customers. Unfortunately, Air Canada’s refusal to even partially compensate or acknowledge the impact on my plans and budget has left me questioning their commitment to customer care. I encourage Air Canada to consider the value of customer loyalty and to recognize the importance of taking responsibility when service disruptions create substantial ripple effects for their passengers. Effective customer service involves understanding and addressing these situations, not merely dismissing them.

✅ Trip Verified |   Took Air Canada (AC) flight 342 from Vancouver to Ottawa on October 28, 2024. Direct non-stop YVR-YOW flights are rare so you take what you can get. The entertainment system did not work. My screen at 13A was white with a red arrow circling round and round. The screen for 13B was black. The crew tried to fix the entertainment system. It worked for 40 minutes. Then seat screens were black for the remainder of the flight. AC “apologize for the inconvenience”. Second, the window between seats 12A and 13A had condensation between the acrylic panels because the seal was broken. A priority tag was placed on my bag as I checked in at Vancouver and my bag was one of the last onto carrousel #3 in Ottawa on October 28, 2024. This is priority? This is a regular occurrence with AC.

Not Verified | This was a crammed flight with every one of the 450 seats filled. Staff was pleasant at the outset but clearly tired and were unable to provide adequate service as the flight went on. The seats were a little wider than economy and reclined a little more. This made the expensive upgrade worthwhile. Persons in economy were squeezed in very tight, especially the larger ones. The entertainment system was sub standard, likely a very old system. It froze at one point and it took about an hour to have it restarted after pressing the call button. Our amenity package with earphones was not at our seat. It also took a prolonged time to get staff attention to this issue.

Not Verified | Air Canada, our signiture CHEAPO airline, representing the stoic cheapo best we offer. The flight from Lisbon was not unlike the three other flights that we took with AC. Un-courteous service. Spoke in French first only yet most of people were english. On both international flghts to and from Europe only offered cheap wine to drink, once with meal. Would not give full can of pop only glass and no ice. Female attendant at the gate and on the plane was totally rude, and snarky. It was as if they were doing us a favor by serving us. Worst feeling of being on a plane ever. Couple of the male attendants seems semi friendly but the women were not at all cordial to many people.

✅ Trip Verified | Cabins were in good condition. A330 even though an old plane was in good condition and Premium Economy is in old business class seats. Crew was nice, the crew to/from Colombia was indifferent but the crew from/to Athens was great and attending the passengers. From/to ATH to Canada food in economy was great with midflight snacks. Inflight service was tasty and nice. From YYZ-BOG I had a paid upgrade to Premium Economy and the service was great, food was delicious, there was an amenities kit, welcome drink. IFE was good but need a little upgrade with newer films.

✅ Trip Verified | I am deeply disappointed with Air Canada’s handling of wheelchair assistance for my 77-year-old mother's recent travel experience. She has significant mobility issues, is a cardiac patient with back surgery. I purchased her ticket trusting Air Canada would provide the pre-arranged assistance (wheelchair) she needed. During a 1 hour and 45-minute connection in Toronto, the staff member assisting my mother told her to walk to the gate on her own, saying it "should be a short walk." She was left alone in the elevator without a gate number on her boarding pass. What was supposed to be a short walk turned into a long distance, causing her significant physical and emotional distress. What makes the situation worse is that Air Canada offered a $200 travel credit as compensation, which I find inadequate. This was not just a minor service lapse—it was a failure to provide essential, pre-arranged assistance to an elderly woman with health challenges.

✅ Trip Verified | I paid for business class and was informed as I checked in that I was being "downgraded." No apologies and when I spoke to a supervisor I received a wrote series of Air Canada platitudes. The ticket was booked almost a year ago and the high handed tone of the staff was akin to, "Not my problem." They did tell me with great pride that I could use the lounge but I was unable to do so because I had to wait so long to speak to a supervisor that I had enough time to go through security and get to my gate. To add insult to injury, the flight staff said there would be no IFE or wifi then promptly went around trying to sell earphones for the non-existent IFE. I received a voucher for 150 CAD which of course doesn't even come close to closing the gap between economy and business class. This airline never fails to disappoint.

Not Verified | Flight delayed, missed connection, lost baggage, then sent to another airport, no one wanted to know, rude staff - not just one person but the majority. Was Told to book an Uber to the airport we should have landed at and they would refund - no they would not! Can’t speak to another on phone. Don’t book a flight with this airline, the level of incompetence, I would walk rather than book a flight with this airline again.

✅ Trip Verified | I planned a trip to Iran to visit my mother, and to make the journey easier, I booked a flight from Chicago to Toronto with Air Canada so I could fly with my sister from Toronto. However, due to the rising tensions in the Middle East, all flights to Tehran were canceled. I contacted Air Canada to ask for assistance in modifying my itinerary. Unfortunately, I was met with no effort to find a solution. The only option they offered was a partial refund of around $60, even though I had paid approximately $450 for the flight. I then asked if I could retain my return flight from Toronto to Chicago but change my departure to Toronto to a week earlier, planning to book a new ticket to get to Toronto. However, I was told that if I didn’t use my outbound flight to Toronto, my return flight to Chicago (which was operated by United Airlines) would be automatically canceled. I am extremely disappointed in Air Canada's lack of support and unwillingness to accommodate a simple request.