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2011
21
March
Response from Air Canada: 'Our fares aren't guaranteed'
21
March
On Thursday I received a reply from the Air Canada executives regarding the deal to South America via airfare.com that didn't pan out. Here's what they had to say:
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Dear Mr. Myden,
Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in our response.
Mr. Myden, I can certainly understand how frustrating it must have been for you to have your booking to Santiago cancelled, especially since you found a good price on Airfare.com.
Please know that Air Canada stands behind the fares we offer, but a specific fare is never guaranteed until the actual ticket is issued. I trust you will appreciate that since many customers are accessing our fares, whether it is via www.aircanada.com, through our Call Centre, or booking with travel agents and consolidators, fares can quickly become unavailable. While the inventory of available seats and prices are constantly being updated, the final price paid can only be confirmed once the ticket is issued. This is standard procedure throughout the airline industry and booking agencies are aware of this.
Regrettably, should the booking agency choose not to issue the ticket immediately, that fare may no longer be available at the time of ticket issue. Respectfully, in these situations, we must direct the passenger back to the booking agency.
While your disappointment is understandable, Mr. Myden, we hope this information will be helpful to you when you make future bookings. We look forward to welcoming you onboard Air Canada when next you travel.
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In short, they place the blame on the consolidator site, airfare.com (as I expected they would). And of course, airfare.com points the finger at Air Canada. The end result? It's nobody's fault. It's nobody's fault that for 3 full days people are lead to believe they have purchased an airline ticket, when in fact they haven't.
When people purchase an airline ticket, they're not *just* purchasing a ticket. They're also booking hotels, they're taking time off work, they're dreaming of being there. In 2011, to not have the technology in place to let someone know immediately whether they actually have a ticket or not isn't acceptable in my opinion.
The Air Canada executives that were contacted:
Lise Fournel
Susan Welscheid
Craig Landry
Claude Morin
To reach an Air Canada exec, the e-mail address format to use is: [email protected]
2011
28
February
Why you should *never* use airfare.com to book a flight - and my apologies for a deal that didn't pan out
28
February
So on Thursday evening I reported a deal to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile - both were showing up on airfare.com for an incredible price of $530 roundtrip after tax.
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2011
24
February
St. John's to Buenos Aires, Argentina - $550 roundtrip after tax
24
February
There's apparently a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina for $550 roundtrip after tax.
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2011
22
February
How to get the best deal on an all inclusive package
22
February
When it comes to all inclusive vacations, this is the question most people want the answer to: 'When should I book to get the best deal?'
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2011
18
January
So, I'm now blogging for a large Canadian media conglomerate
18
January
Last month, a kind soul and devoted reader took the time to point out to me that Sympatico.ca was looking to fill the position of 'Travel deal blogger' for the Travel section of their giant web portal.
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2010
5
December
[PROMO CODE] Westjet: 10% off flights (to any city) if you book with Mastercard - [expires: December 26]
5
December
Found this on the MasterCard site:
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2010
5
December
St. John's to Guatemala City - $646 roundtrip after tax
5
December
St. John's pretty much never has any flights to Central America below $1000 roundtrip after tax. They just don't happen.
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2010
1
December
[PROMO CODE] WestJet: 20% off routes that Porter flys, but with blackout dates - [expires: December 06]
1
December
Westjet's match of Porter's code, although WestJet decided to keep blackout dates around the holidays. And it expires a few days earlier.
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2010
1
December
[PROMO CODE] Air Canada: 20% off routes that Porter flys, no blackout dates - [expires: December 08]
1
December
Air Canada has matched the Porter code, as expected.
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2010
1
December
[PROMO CODE] Porter: 20% off flights, even during Christmas, no blackout dates - [expires: December 8]
1
December
Promo code: ELF20
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