Air Canada warned about overbooking

Air

Canada has received a warning from the Canadian Transport Agency, that it must not bump passengers off flights against their will, when overbooking has occurred, without first checking to see if there are others who would “voluntarily” forgo their flight for another one instead. This ruling is especially important ahead of the hectic holiday travel season, as all major airlines overbook popular flights on a regular basis—especially at peak times—in order to compensate for no-shows and cancellations. The Canadian Transport Agency has advised Air

Canada to issue a written reminder to all ticketing and check-in staff, which clearly restates the carrier’s own policy about not bumping passengers against their will.

The Transport Agency’s directive was part of a recent complaint submitted to the supervisory organization by a passenger who was denied boarding for a domestic Air Canada flight leaving from

Toronto this past spring, due to overbooking. After reviewing the case, the agency also suggested that Air Canada revisit and clarify its policy on advance seat selection–which is available for an extra fee–and which apparently “provide greater security against overbooking,” according to the airline’s own words. Additionally, transport officials are asking that Air Canada spell out in no uncertain terms how it intends to compensate passengers that are bumped to another flight.

According to Peter Fitzpatrick, an Air Canada spokesperson, passengers who volunteer to relinquish their seat when a flight is overbooked are given vouchers and a range of freebies as a form of compensation. Fitzpatrick noted that the airline plans to continue its practice of overbooking flights, as this helps to keep the price of tickets down.

www.aircanada.com