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Toronto Pearson International Airport

EastYorkTTCFan said:
It could be because there is more international flights that go into terminal 1 then terminal 3.
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That MAY be a reason (or one of many) but if there are, say, 3 times as many international flights @ Terminal 1 one might expect to have 3 times as many CBSA agents etc etc. there too. As @allengeorge notes in his/her excellent post above, there are many interconnected reasons and far too many players!
 
crs1026 said:
Finally, since Air Canada’s customer service/gate agents are short-staffed (see wage post above), it probably takes forever to service complaints because there isn’t as much slack in capacity to reschedule, causing even more complaints, and potentially turning simple issues into harder-to-solve ones.
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A lot of Air Canada's customer service issues could be resolved through changes to their app and website. For a flight cancellation, customer service only really needs to mark the entire flight as cancelled; after that a free flight credit could be issued (internally) for a certain time range (say 3 days) and let all customers book themselves new flights using the same mechanism they used to book the previous flight.

Hotels are similar. The app already knows how to book a hotel and find availability. They don't need to manually touch each customer. Mark the entire flight for a credit for a specific time period (that night) and let customers book a room where that credit is usable. The software can even give different credits for different classes (J-Class might get a 5-star hotel credit instead of the U-class 2-star). The hotel already bills corporate via the paper voucher; their app could directly book a room with the customers name on it with payment pointing to corporate.

A much smaller number of customers would require assistance by customer service (either local or via phone); such as those who booked tickets as a group to sit together but do not feel comfortable sharing a single hotel room.
 
rbt said:
A lot of Air Canada's customer service issues could be resolved through changes to their app and website. For a flight cancellation, customer service only really needs to mark the entire flight as cancelled; after that a free flight credit could be issued (internally) for a certain time range (say 3 days) and let all customers book themselves new flights using the same mechanism they used to book the previous flight.

Hotels are similar. The app already knows how to book a hotel and find availability. They don't need to manually touch each customer. Mark the entire flight for a credit for a specific time period (that night) and let customers book a room where that credit is usable. The software can even give different credits for different classes (J-Class might get a 5-star hotel credit instead of the U-class 2-star). The hotel already bills corporate via the paper voucher; their app could directly book a room with the customers name on it with payment pointing to corporate.

A much smaller number of customers would require assistance by customer service (either local or via phone); such as those who booked tickets as a group to sit together but do not feel comfortable sharing a single hotel room.
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That all sounds good but I have never heard of ANY airline having such a user-friendly (or user-activated) system. Not that Air Canada could not be first but ...
 
rbt said:
A lot of Air Canada's customer service issues could be resolved through changes to their app and website. For a flight cancellation, customer service only really needs to mark the entire flight as cancelled; after that a free flight credit could be issued (internally) for a certain time range (say 3 days) and let all customers book themselves new flights using the same mechanism they used to book the previous flight.
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We’re making an assumption here that most customers at an airport want a cancellation. Generally, if you’re talking to an agent at the airport you’re tackling a more complex issue: you may have missed a connection, you may be trying to navigate an issue with a codeshared flight, you may hope that the agents have more options and flexibility than you do (and that has often been the case when I’ve spoken to agents.)

And, on the topic of cancellations - I have used the Air Canada website to make a flight cancellation and it was straightforward. I can’t speak to hotel reservation management, which I strongly suspect is being handled by a third party - perhaps Expedia - and relabeled by Air Canada. The developers may not have the flexibility you’re looking for, since it may be constrained by what the third-party systems or contracts allow.
 
DSC said:
That all sounds good but I have never heard of ANY airline having such a user-friendly (or user-activated) system. Not that Air Canada could not be first but ...
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There are a few European discount airlines which get pretty close (FreeBird in Turkey for example); I don't think they have any flights long enough to worry about hotel credits.


allengeorge said:
We’re making an assumption here that most customers at an airport want a cancellation. Generally, if you’re talking to an agent at the airport you’re tackling a more complex issue: you may have missed a connection, you may be trying to navigate an issue with a codeshared flight, you may hope that the agents have more options and flexibility than you do (and that has often been the case when I’ve spoken to agents.)
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No, I was making the assumption the customer wants to get to their destination. A refund would likely be something you need to call customer service to get.

The airline app and website handles bookings and even adjustments to existing bookings perfectly fine. All the customer needs is a credit allowing them to use the current booking adjustment mechanisms that full-flexibility fare classes already use prior to boarding.

and that has often been the case when I’ve spoken to agents
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I've not experienced that myself. Aside from standby tickets (which I've taken ~50 times and it worked about twice), they nearly always come up with the same solutions the public facing ticketing system has.

Edit: I don't see a reason why they couldn't have a "First Available" button which does the standby dance in an automated fashion too. Point being, while security and customs actually need manpower, airlines can use automation to resolve some of their customer service manpower issues.

It doesn't matter to me whether they hire several thousand customer service staff or create a DIY interface; it's waiting on the phone for several hours to reach customer service that I severely dislike and leaves me with a negative opinion about my trip.
 
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Not that things being a mess elsewhere should be a comfort, it is probably useful to remember that a large number of airports are having problems. These 4 are in UK - from today's Mail Online.

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I landed in Pearson last Wednesday on a domestic Air Canada flight and we had to wait in the aircraft on the tarmac for 65 minutes because our gate was occupied. The plane was on the active runway for first 10-15 minutes after landing.
 
I travelled internationally earlier in Jan/Feb, My family flew to western Canada couple of times since March. We didn't experience the chaos that has been projected in the media. There was a delay of 1 hour max. I was selected for random covid test on my return. I experienced worse delays at Dubai airport. The YYZ to DXB flight was on time but my connecting flight onwards was cancelled. I had to fight Emirates to get a overnight stay at old Airport hotel in Dubai. Plus there was only one Passport control lane open and the lines were huge. My luggage was not on the belt because of the connection. I had to wait 3 hours to retrieve it. By the time I reached the hotel I only had a few hours left to return to the airport for my next flight.

The delays are happening all over the world.
 
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Picked up The Kid at Pearson on Saturday. Her flight was already delayed about 1 1/2 hours. From touchdown to bag retrieved was an hour. I missed the damned cel-phone parking sign going in 409 so had to do a circuit through Arrivals and go out again to the Network Dr. exit. At least I had the time. It's been a few years since I 've been down there. People still illegally parked along the ramps and play cat-and-mouse with enforcement. The cel-phone lot is an unheralded gem but could be signed better.
 

Welcome home hugs, anyone? We’re excited to announce that our terminals are about to be filled to the brim with emotion once again! On Monday, June 20, 2022 for the first time in two years both Terminals 1 and 3 will be opened back up to the public looking to welcome back their loved ones or send them off on a fun adventure. We are happy to have you back in our terminals to kick off our summer travel season.

Don’t forget when coming to the terminal you are still required to wear your mask unless in the act of eating or drinking.
 
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