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
11
March
So I've just heard back from Air Canada about the botched deal to South America
11
March
Dear Mr. Myden,
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2011
11
March
Calgary to Wendover, Nevada + 3 nights hotel - $179/person after tax
11
March
So, a faithful reader passed this deal along to me. There's apparently a 'casino junket' in Wendover, Nevada and they're offering flight + 3 nights hotel from Calgary for $179/person after tax from May 13-16.
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2011
10
March
New record for cheapest flight to Jamaica - $199 roundtrip after tax
10
March
Well, it didn't take long to break the record of lowest price ever from Calgary to Jamaica. It's funny how many amazing deals there have been to Jamaica this year, not just from Calgary, but from cities all across Canada.
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2011
9
March
Last minute flight from Calgary to Chicago - $336 roundtrip after tax - direct
9
March
If you've ever tried to fly to Chicago from Calgary, you know it's an expensive city to get to. You're usually lucky if you can find something for around $550-$650 roundtrip after tax. And around $700ish for anything direct.
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2011
8
March
Calgary to Jamaica - $228 roundtrip after tax
8
March
Yup, there's another one of those really cheap flights to Montego Bay, Jamaica. In fact, this is the cheapest flight to Jamaica from Calgary that I've ever seen (the one in early January was $20 more).
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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
Calgary to Buenos Aires, Argentina - $714 roundtrip after tax
24
February
There's apparently a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina for $714 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
February
How to get an all inclusive package for a family of 4 down to $540/person after tax
18
February
So all the Canadian tour operators have their February/March all inclusive packages stuck at a minimum of $1000/person. That makes for an expensive trip for a family of 4. What's a guy (or gal) to do?
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