For requesting his return flight to be rescheduled to another day so that he could spend more time fixing his late mother’s estate, a Calgary man was charged a $200 change fee by Air Canada.
Thankfully, the man had travel insurance with
Manulife to cover for the additional cancellation cost, but the extra fee left Chris Lade dissatisfied with the airline’s poor customer service.
Lade had regularly flown in from Calgary to visit his mother at Toronto General Hospital with his younger sister; he would typically book flights with WestJet. Lade’s mother, Susan, had been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, which meant she was in a precarious condition.
One day, doctors broke the bad news to Lade: his mother’s condition had worsened. The medical experts advised Lade to fly back as soon as he could to say his goodbyes.
"In the hurry of everything, I booked through Air Canada thinking it was the cheapest, which in hindsight, I shouldn't have done," Laid told
CBC News.
His mother passed away on Aug. 18, leaving him with funeral arrangements to settle, estate issues to manage, and a grieving sister to console. Lade elected to stay for a bit longer in Toronto to sort these things out, and asked Air Canada to move his return flight to another day. The cancellation process, however, was not as smooth as he had anticipated.
"[I] was treated pretty rudely on the phone by one of Air Canada's representatives. She didn't help me at all, told me there's a fee no matter what," Lade remarked, noting that the fee amounted to $200.
"[She] put me on hold for half an hour. Came back and told me there's still no way around it."
Lade also told
CBC News that he had sent Air Canada his mother’s certificate as proof, and yet nothing changed. He also tried reaching out to the airline’s official
Facebook account, where he received no apology and/or answers.
CBC News reached Air Canada for a response, and the airline extended its sympathies for Lade’s loss through a written statement.
"We extend our sincere sympathies to Mr. Lade for the loss of his mother," Air Canada said.
The airline also directed Lade to his insurer for any claims he might have regarding his travel arrangements.
"Ticket change fees vary according to the terms and conditions of the various fare types available for purchase. As travel insurance is purchased via a third party provider, Mr. Lade would contact his insurance company for any claims regarding his travel, and his insurance company will advise what is covered and how to submit a claim for reimbursement."
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