Air Canada is deceiving and manipulating potential customers! First, at the end of December, Air Canada sent an email offering a promotional - it said: “It’s now or never to save in cash on flights to 180+ destinations worldwide, when you book by JAN. 14, 2025”. I have been checking prices every day for a flight for two people from Toronto to Tokyo on April 27 and back from Osaka to Toronto on May 7, and the prices varied from $2600CA to $3000CA. Finally, on January 13, I managed to book 2 tickets in total for $2563CA. The day after that, out of curiosity, I wanted to check how much the price had increased and how much we saved! Moreover, to my surprise, the price not only increased, but also on the contrary decreased for 2 tickets by $100CA. And today, January 18, I check and see that 2 tickets cost $2348CA!!! That is $215CA cheaper than during the promotion period!!! I emphasize once again - this is a real deception and manipulation of potential clients! And why do we only have 24 hours to cancel a purchase without penalty, when in other relationships between sellers and clients there are at least 14 days, and sometimes up to 30 days to cancel a deal without penalty?
Review of Air Canada Flight AC056 (Toronto to Dubai, December 5, 2024). My husband and I had an extremely distressing experience with Air Canada on flight AC056 from Toronto to Dubai (Gate E80, seats 27B and 28B). We had booked separate flights—Toronto to Dubai with Air Canada and Dubai to India with Emirates—allowing a 7-hour layover in Dubai. Before traveling, we confirmed with both airlines that no transit or visit visa was required since our landing and departure in Dubai were within Terminal 3 and the layover was less than 24 hours. However, when we arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport at 5:45 PM for our 9:50 PM flight, the check-in process turned into a nightmare. The staff at the desk, particularly one lady (of North Indian origin, speaking Hindi to another customer), was unreasonably rude and dismissive. She told us outright that we could not travel without a transit visa, ignoring our prior confirmation with both airlines. She refused to listen to us, demanded that we cancel our tickets and rebook with Air Canada for the entire journey, and even shouted at us when we tried to explain our situation. To make matters worse, this lady did not have a name card on her vest, making it impossible to identify her properly. We reached out to Emirates customer service, and they reassured us that we did not need a visa under UAE immigration rules. The Emirates representative was even willing to explain this directly to the Air Canada staff. Unfortunately, the lady at the desk and her manager, Mr. **, both refused to engage with anyone from Emirates or even the Air Canada customer service team, who also confirmed over the phone that we were eligible to travel without a visa. The situation only improved when Mr. **, a higher-ranking manager, intervened after seeing me in tears. He directed us to two other staff members for assistance. Despite the first lady’s efforts to interfere and discourage them, one of the staff members finally helped us. She informed us that we needed to make a payment to an agency in Dubai, Marhaba, to transfer our luggage from Air Canada to Emirates. After enduring nearly three hours of mental and emotional stress, we were finally allowed to board. Upon arriving in Dubai, the Emirates office staff went above and beyond to resolve the issue. They transferred our luggage to the Emirates flight without charging any fees, showing professionalism and care that was sorely lacking in Air Canada’s service. While the flight itself was fine, the experience at the check-in desk was one of the worst I have ever encountered. The unprofessionalism, lack of empathy, and outright rudeness of the ground staff in Toronto left a lasting negative impression. The fact that the rude staff member was not wearing a name card adds to the accountability issues. Air Canada must train its staff to handle such situations with more knowledge and sensitivity. A simple willingness to communicate or listen could have saved us hours of unnecessary stress. Emirates’ outstanding service in Dubai was the only silver lining in an otherwise horrible ordeal.
Our flight from Toronto (Pearson International Airport) on January 5, 2025 AC791 was supposed to depart at 4:00pm (Eastern time) but got delayed because they needed to clean the pistachio shells off the floor of the first class cabin (thanks to the asinine who did that). Right as we took off there was loud mechanical noises & a lot of gasoline fumes & people were coughing. After we were in the air for one hour and a bit, an announcement came on saying they were having a system failure & we need to head back to Toronto for a safety check! I thought safety checks were done BEFORE a plane took off?!! A few minutes before landing, the stewardess announced that we were going to make an EMERGENCY LANDING & the emergency exit lights came on. Soon after, we landed & we saw the emergency crews/firetrucks came, did their check & then we went back to the gate. After that chaos kicked in. We were told to walk over to the next gate, which we did. Then they said the gate has changed again, to walk over to another Gate. Then they changed the gates 3 more times(& all this time not one wheelchair help was given to me). Later I couldn't walk anymore & requested a wheelchair from the customer service desk, & they couldn't find anyone to help, until someone showed up to help me & another passenger, which took forever. My poor young son had to push the wheelchair himself. After five gate changes, we ended up at the final gate at around 9:30(EST) & all this while not ONE notification about gate changes was sent to me or more than one email about delays. After boarding the new plane, (which took off at 10:15pm EST) we had to wait another 1hour & 15 minutes to get something to drink & the prepaid food we ordered. I was dizzy, exhausted out of breath & furious. In the middle of all this chaos, we also left a small bag of our travel pillows at one of the gates & when I told the stewardesses they said they'll let someone know. I never saw my bag again. When we finally landed in Los Angeles, we noticed that our bags were damaged. We made a report for both, but she only made one report! We got home at 2AMPST exhausted, dizzy & my son had school the next day & got only a few hours of sleep. This was NOT the first time this happened with Air Canada. Last year we were in the same scenario, minus the emergency landing. On top of all this, they didn't compensate our money neither last year nor this year & not for our luggages that they damaged for both times. To whoever is thinking about flying with this garbage airline think twice about giving your money & business to an airline & a CEO (Michael Rousseau (Salary:$12.38 million/year)) who is a greedy bastard & cares only about money rather than the safety of his customer's lives & is running an unlawful business practice where they don't even report properly to the Canadian Transportation Agency, consider yourself warned. We will be pressing charges & have this bastard pay our money back. Also, whoever was on this flight AC791 from Toronto to Los Angeles (Jan.5, 2025) email the CEO himself & tell them you're going to press charges too. We clearly are owed money. I hope this helps anyone else that was on that flight & whoever is thinking about using this garbage Air Canada to fly in the future.
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My most favorite airline for international travel; with very affordable business tickets from US to Asia, always my first choice to book rewards tickets with Air Canada.
I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the exceptional customer service I had from Nadia, Karen and Dee on January 7, 2025, while at the Toronto Pearson Airport late in the night. This is because I had issues with my flight from Toronto Pearson to the North of Canada, but they took upon themselves under the stewardship of Nadia to look for an alternative flight to ensure that I reach my destination without any disruption. Lionel
Worst trip. Ever. Started with my disabled mother being abandoned at the checkin in a wheelchair that was requested to get her to the gate. My daughter and I had to manage 3 carry-ons, her walker, and the wheelchair to get to the gate on time. Flight to Montreal over half hour delayed boarding. The plane was offboarding passengers when we were supposed to be boarding. Ended up 2 hours late to connecting flight due to onboard medical emergency, which was unpreventable. Airline had us rebooked prior to arriving in Montreal, which was great, however, it was 8 hours later and required a stop in Toronto. We arrived in QC 12 hours later than planned, losing an entire day. In addition, talked into checking carry-ons from Montreal. Baggage didn't make it to QC until 7 hours after we got there. Return flight from QC to connection in Toronto cancelled. Rebooked for a flight 8 hours later. Arrived home 12 hours later than scheduled requiring an extra day of paid parking, and dog board. In addition, EVERY SINGLE flight was minimum 30 minutes delayed boarding. All but once was due to the plane's prior flight being late.
Flight was delayed by 2:55 mins which would make us miss our cruise departure. We had to try and get on another flight earlier. Canada Air employee at the airport couldn’t help us with this, we needed to call Air Canada, tried to call Air Canada. Couldn’t get an agent on the line, had to wait for them to call back 60mins but we would miss boarding time. So we had to just purchase Another flight in hopes once Air Canada called us back we could sort it out. The only seats that was available was in business class for $2000.00. When Air Canada called back I had to wait again on hold for a very long time for them to tell us we are out of luck, they would not refund us on the original flight and no compensation for the new flight so had to pay 2535.00 for a one way flight from YVR to Lax. The customer service was horrible on the phone and at the airport, no one can help you.
1.2/5 rating. That is worse than United Airlines' (UA') rating. I don't understand how they are still in business. [I originally booked my flight with UA, which they later canceled and rebooked me with AC.] With the exception of one male AC agent in Philadelphia where I began my trip to Casablanca with a layover in Montreal, I cannot think of anything good to say about AC. At first, the agent couldn't find proof that I had already paid for one checked bag, so he wanted to charge me $100.00. When I insisted that I had already paid for it thru ASAP Tickets, he rechecked the computer and found that I had already paid. Who would have known that this would be the 'highlight' of my AC experience. My flights to Casablanca were all delayed, which meant that the tour director and other tour participants had to wait for me at the airport in Casablanca. Fast forward: Since UA had canceled my return flight, I was forced to book an extra night's hotel stay. I had not planned for that extra $100.00 charge when I originally planned the tour. I was unable to cut my trip short and depart a day earlier because I was part of a tour. Moving forward: When I arrived at the airport in Casablanca on my new departure date, I went to the AC counter to check in. Little did I know that I would be so humiliated and treated so unprofessionally. The male agent told me that I hadn't paid for the checked bag, and he told me that I would not be allowed to leave Morocco without paying $100.00. Unlike the gentleman in Philadelphia, he didn't really take the time to investigate to see whether or not I had already paid. Looking back now, I realize that in that country, it was a 'cultural' thing, and he viewed me -- a woman ** -- as either questioning or challenging him and he wasn't having it. Although I was on the verge of a panic attack, that didn't faze him or his nearby male colleagues who were enjoying the manner in which he was mistreating me. [They took great delight in removing my suitcase from the weigh-in area as they continued to mock me and laugh among themselves.] Since I had absolutely no desire to stay in Morocco any longer than necessary, I eventually paid a second time for the checked bag. [With the conversion rate, I actually paid $109.00 U.S. instead of $100.00.] To add injury to insult, although I was supposed to have been assigned an aisle seat because of leg surgery that I had had prior to the trip, he used his position to assign me a middle seat on that long flight from Casablanca to Montreal. Then when it was time to collect the boarding pass and board the plane, he had the audacity to say with a diabolical smirk, "Have a good flight." Well, the nightmare didn't end there. I was physically and emotionally drained and sick the entire trip home. When it was time to disembark in Philadelphia, I asked the female stewardess if I had time to go to the restroom? I was so stressed out that I accidently left my pouch on the seat when I went to the restroom. It was in full view of the stewardess and her male companion. Well as I was inside, one or both of them robbed my money pouch that still had over $200.00 inside. I believe it was a partnership because when I tried to get out of the restroom, it seemed as if someone was holding the door shut. When I finally freed myself, the stewardess asked: "Are you all right?" When I returned to my seat which was in the last row, her male companion was standing in the aisle blocking me from going to my seat and retrieving my pouch. Unfortunately, I didn't realize what had happened until after leaving the airport. So, thanks to United and Air Canada, in less than 36 hours, I lost over $400.00. I don't expect to get the money back that was in my pouch, but I do expect Air Canada, United Airlines and/or ASAP Tickets to reimburse me for the other $209.00 for the fraudulent checked bag fee and the extra hotel night's stay because of the original flight that they cancelled. The sad part about this is that no one wants to listen to me and instead of reimbursing me, they keep saying that it was the other party's fault, not theirs. United Airlines even had the audacity to send me a message that the case was closed. Imagine that! I am so fed up with all this bureaucratic red tape. If they would just give me my $209.00 I would go away. However, I would not have been so careless with my pouch and ended up losing over $200.00 had I not been victimized by my earlier Air Canada ordeal.
My trip on Dec. 29/24 from Deer Lake, Nl. to Toronto was nothing short of just bad customer service on Air Canada’s part. First of all, the flight left about 45 mins, late form Deer Lake. The plane was 4 seats across, 2 seats on each side with people cramped so badly. So uncomfortable. We arrived in Toronto and our luggage didn’t arrive with us. Waited over an hour and nobody announced that it was not arriving for pickup. A young man told me, otherwise I would have kept on waiting as was others. I then advised various other passengers and let them know their luggage would not be there either. I paid $50 for parking due to this oversight on Air Canada’s part. Received luggage next evening. This is just terrible customer service and an awful way to treat customers. There used to be a time when Air Canada was well known for their service but it don’t exist now.
Dear Air Canada Customer Service, I am writing to share my recent experience on Flight AC1761 from Holguin to Toronto. As a frequent traveler with Air Canada, I have encountered a number of challenges and often found the service lacking, particularly in terms of crew attitude. Unfortunately, this has led me to question whether I should continue flying with your airline. However, on this flight, I was pleasantly surprised by the exceptional service provided by the crew. Brittanni, Lina, Raphael, and Samira were outstanding—despite the busy service, they were not only efficient but also kind, friendly, and approachable. Their positive attitude and professionalism made a significant difference in my overall experience. It is clear that they are setting a great example for others. I hope that someone at Air Canada reads this message and acknowledges the excellent work they are doing. Keep up the good work, Brittanni, Lina, Raphael, and Samira—you truly made my flight a much more pleasant experience. Rada
I will never travel by Air Canada again. Post covid cost cutting measures are understandable but the way they have done are ridiculous. On A flight Ac 43 on Dec 27, 2024 from New Delhi, breakfast served had only two small samosas and a poorly cooked meal after another six hours before landing. Even coke or a soft drink beverage was served in three portions from a can, water served in a 8 ounce glass. Crew members were rude. Felt as if I was travelling with a third world country airline carrier.
I am deeply disappointed with my recent experience with Air Canada. Due to a sudden medical emergency that required surgery, I was unable to take my scheduled flight. Despite providing documentation from my surgeon outlining the situation, Air Canada refused to issue a refund or even offer a travel voucher. As a loyal customer, I expected more understanding and flexibility in such an extraordinary circumstance. Emergencies are unpredictable, and travelers should not be penalized for unavoidable situations, especially when medical documentation is provided. This lack of empathy and rigid policy has left me frustrated and disheartened. I hope Air Canada reconsiders its approach to handling such cases in the future, as this experience has made me question my trust in the airline. I urge the company to prioritize customer care and adapt its policies to reflect compassion and fairness for travelers dealing with legitimate emergencies.
I buy one way ticket to fly from Ottawa to Philippines, so the day of the fly I show up to check in but the lady there make a big deal and denies to me to board the plane because in her mind a Canadian citizen have to buy around trip ticket. She treat me so bad and make me lose the plane that day. I'm Canadian citizen and I can fly to many country because of that and I don't need to buy around trip because a worker in the airport think that Canadian citizen can not leave Canada if they don't have a return ticket. I left the next day but since then I think Air Canada is the worst, don't give proper trainers to employees. Another thing if you are traveling long way they don't give you same service like the other do.... Other airline give you unlimited food and drinks and Air Canada limited and sometimes nothing.
Overbooked & screwed a trip to New Brunswick for over a day. Why take time off of work & pay too much for a ticket only to get scammed? What a waste of time & money! How are they able to get away with this & why do they constantly overbook?
I recently flew with Air Canada on my first trip to Europe, and the experience was nothing short of a disaster. What should have been an exciting adventure turned into a nightmare because of Air Canada’s complete lack of reliability, accountability, and customer care. The first major issue occurred when our connecting flight was delayed, causing us to miss our flight to Switzerland. Air Canada rebooked us on a new flight, but this left us stranded in Toronto for almost an entire day. Once we finally made it to Europe, the problems only continued. Our luggage was sent to a city we never even visited. It was lost for five days, and despite their repeated reassurances that we would get it “in no time,” it took far longer for the bags to be returned. I had to wear the same clothes for days and, eventually, I gave up hope of getting the luggage back and bought new clothes. It was a humiliating and frustrating experience. What made everything worse was the complete lack of empathy from Air Canada staff. Not once did anyone offer practical solutions or acknowledge the stress we were under—especially since we arrived in freezing 30-degree weather with only the light clothing we’d flown in from Dallas. When I got home, I submitted a claim for reimbursement for the necessities I had to buy during the five days without luggage. It’s been nearly a month, and I have yet to receive a single response from their claims department. I’ve sent multiple follow-ups, all of which have gone unanswered. To make matters worse, after 48 hours of no updates on our luggage, we were asked to fill out yet another claim form, which took over an hour to complete, listing every item in our suitcase and its value. Conveniently, after submitting that form, our luggage was “found,” but it still took several more days for it to finally arrive. On top of all this, I paid extra for what was supposed to be premium service—Economy Plus—yet received subpar treatment and bottom-tier service the entire time. Air Canada has made it clear they don’t care about their customers, nor do they take responsibility for their failures. I will never fly with them again and strongly urge others to avoid them at all costs. This was, by far, the worst travel experience of my life. Air Canada’s incompetence and disregard for customer care is astounding, and they have earned my complete disdain.
I had an extremely disappointing experience with Air Canada staff at Montreal Airport. After enduring a 12-hour international flight to reach Montreal, I approached the desk to request a time change for my connecting flight to Vancouver. The ticket had been booked at the wrong time by my conference host, leaving me with an 8-hour layover before another 6-hour flight. After waiting for 2 hours, I was told I would be charged the full ticket price for the change. When I explained my situation, including being an invited conference participant, the staff responded disrespectfully, saying, "Air Canada is not a charity for passengers." This level of unprofessionalism and lack of empathy is unacceptable. I expected better understanding and customer care, especially given the circumstances. This experience has left me deeply dissatisfied with Air Canada's service.
Air Canada is the worst airline in the history of our world. They are unresponsive and will not take responsibility for delays. I had over 5 hours delays in Oct from Toronto to Japan. My husband and I got on airplane then they told everyone to get off as they had to get another airplane. We had a performance to attend in Japan which we missed the entire show as we got there very late. I wrote to Air Canada to be compensated for such a long delay and for missing our show, plus we were exhausted but they refuse to answer me week after week when I wrote to them to ask for a response. I hate this airline and I would NOT recommend anyone to take this airline - they do not treat their consumers fairly. They should be taking my complaint and request seriously but they just totally ignore me which is even more frustrating. I wish someone from AIR CANADA would just response to me for the headache, exhaustion, and missing more than 5 hours of life they caused us but they are too proud to even write back to me. HOW COULD they treat people like this! DO NOT FLY AIR CANADA!
For CHRISTMAS, I got a ticket, my receipt even says it is a "comfort" selection and they refuse to refund the cancelation, which is cancelled on time. They are crooks and scamming thieves as they claim it is because the ticket was originally selected as 'flex', but once I made the official selection and having paid extra for the seat, the computer won't correct it and so they are keeping my 400$.
Awful airline and staff. Changing your flight without your knowledge. Making you sleep in airport because they changed it to a layover. Did not offer any assistance leaving us stranded in a foreign country.
To begin with the airline messed up my boarding passes, hadn't done a proper security check despite apparently randomly selecting me for one and then sent me on my way with no passes for my other two connecting flights. Instead they gave me a duplicate of my first pass. Then they told me they suggested I go to departures instead of connecting for Vancouver to Toronto to Detroit which thankfully I ignored as to not miss my flights. Airline eventually recognised an error but didn't really explain or apologise for it. Almost didn't let me on to another flight and questioned me a bunch about my travel and flight times even after I had told them I was confused on my next flight time as I just got off the plane from one which was already delayed start by nearly 2 hours, and hadn't received an update until I reached the boarding of the next flight.
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