Forty-seven-year-old Tariq Ali of Ottawa has been planning his wedding for more than a year. But now “Air Canada is going to ruin my wedding,” he fears.
Ali, along with 200 of his friends and family members, flew in from different parts of the world to Trinidad for the special day.
“I wanted it to be absolutely perfect,” Ali, who flew to his wedding destination on July 3 on Air Canada, told Global News on Thursday.
Read more: ‘Recharge your patience’: Experts say travel woes are expected to continue for air travelers
But for all his meticulous planning, the one thing that didn’t make it to the wedding destination with Ali was his luggage – wearing his wedding suits.
“Everything is bought, everything is ready. All I had to do was show up in my outfit,” he said. “But it’s all in my luggage and my luggage never arrived.”
Story continues below the ad
“It’s just mind-blowing what’s happening. It will ruin everything we had planned,” Ali said.
Ali has been calling Air Canada every day since arriving in Trinidad, several times on some days – to try to find out where his luggage is – hoping it will arrive in time for his July 15 wedding.
“It’s an absolute nightmare.”
“You’ll be on the phone for three hours without an answer. No one picks up,” Ali said.
2:02 Airline problems leaving sea travelers frustrated Airline problems leaving sea travelers helpless
He filled out a form after getting off the plane in Trinidad – standard protocol for lost luggage – and even went back to the airport to double-check that his luggage had been found a few days after arrival, without success.
Story continues below the ad
He also checked the status of his luggage online. It says his custom wedding suit case is still sitting in Canada.
“I spent thousands of dollars to be able to get here, and quite a bit of money for a suit that was actually custom made – all the cufflinks and buttons. Everything is perfect for the perfect day,” Ali said. “And it’s not here. And no, we don’t know what we’re going to do,” he said.
Trending stories
-
Convoy organizers discussed playing the “race card” with Leach’s Métis heritage
-
Rogers outage sheds light on need for competition in Canada’s telecoms sector: expert
Also in the luggage, apart from his reception suit, was the outfit he had chosen to wear to the Islamic ceremony, which was due to take place in Trinidad before July 15.
“Both are completely missing in action.” Ali said. “No one is taking responsibility for this. They didn’t call us, they didn’t send us an email.
Read more: As airfares soar, here’s how Canadians can find cheaper flights
Another traveler, Marco Rocha, has been planning to travel to Portugal with his wife and daughter since last November. His Air Canada flight was booked for mid-July 2022.
However, Rocha recently received a “suspicious” email from the airline saying his flight was delayed by 15 minutes due to bad weather – his flight was still due for another two weeks.
Story continues below the ad
“I find it strange, very strange that they would know two weeks in advance that bad weather would cause a 15-minute delay,” Rocha told Global News from Montreal.
With horror stories circulating from the airport and now a flight delay, Rocha is hoping his flight won’t be canceled altogether.
“I worry about that,” he said. “My first instinct is that they are trying to cover up if more flights are cancelled. I’m worried that my flight, my entire vacation, will be canceled due to things beyond my control.
2:39 Canadian airlines, airports top global delay list Canadian airlines, airports top global delay list
“Aviation is a complex ecosystem made up of many independent players, including airports, customs, catering companies, fuel companies, security systems, etc.,” an Air Canada spokesperson told Global News in response to the ongoing delays.
“All these bodies must work well and together for the system to function properly. The on-time performance of individual carriers can be affected by the performance of each of these partners, which is why we are working with all of our partners to improve industry performance,” they said.
Story continues below the ad
WestJet, which is also facing massive flight delays and cancellations, said: “There remain significant operational challenges specific to and across the Canadian aviation ecosystem that are beyond our control, contributing to significant delays.”
“We recognize sometimes; collectively, we have yet to deliver the experience guests expect, and we apologize for that. As a result, our number one priority is to ensure that our guests arrive safely at their destination, as on time as the current aviation environment allows,” a spokesperson told Global News.
Canadian airlines have failed to meet their business goals, according to Gabor Lukacs, an air passenger rights advocate.
“Canadians should be very concerned,” he told Global News.
“The question Canadians have to ask themselves is why is the government allowing the airlines to behave this way,” he said.
On Tuesday, Air Canada and Toronto’s Pearson Airport again took the top spots for flight delays. According to the tracking service FlightAware, 65 percent of Air Canada flights arrive late.
Under air passenger protection regulations, when an airline cancels or delays a flight for reasons beyond its control, it must pay passengers a one-time compensation, according to Lukacs.
Although both Air Canada and WestJet claim compliance, Lukacs says these regulations are currently being ignored by the airlines and remain unenforced by the government.
Story continues below the ad
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has issued 77 warning notices and 15 infringement notices with $97,450 in administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) related to air passenger protection regulations since they came into effect in 2019.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Add Comment