Air Canada

News from Air Canada + Korean Air + More

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Air Canada flights on, then off

On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada said it was suspending its plan to resume limited flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge after striking flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) defied the government’s back-to-work order.

Instead, the airline says it now plans to resume flights on Monday evening.

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL continue to operate as normal, but for passengers with flights on other Air Canada flights, the carrier has this advice:

Customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and are strongly advised not to go the airport unless they have confirmed flights on other airlines. Air Canada will offer those with cancelled flights options, including obtaining a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel. The carrier will also offer to rebook customers on other carriers, although capacity is currently limited due to the peak summer travel season.

Cute Korean Air kits for kids

Korean Air has rolled out a charming new collection of amenities for kids that include a hooded beach towel, a memory foam neck pillow, slippers, socks, and an airplane keyring, as well as a coloring pack, a doodle book and a paper airplane.

The items available are adjusted by route length and season across short, medium, and long-haul flights.

Art tour of SEA Airport

The art collection at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) was started back in the 1970s and is now one of the more extensive and valuable airport art collections in the United States.

Here’s a fun video put together by Seattle’s Museum of Flight that includes a tour of just a few of the pieces you’ll see when you visit the airport.

Air Canada braces for a strike

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Your options if you have an Air Canada ticket

Air Canada’s negotiations with CUPE, the union representing 10,000 flight attendants on Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, aren’t going well.

And if no agreements can be made, a strike is expected to begin Saturday, August 16 at 01:00 ET.

In preparation, the carrier began a “phased wind-down” of its operations on Thursday and will be canceling hundreds of flights by this weekend.

For those with booked flights, the airline is offering options for refunds, flight changes and alternate travel arrangements.

If you’re booked on Air Canada with plans to travel between August 15 and August 18, you can change your flight for free if you purchased an Air Canada ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan flight reward no later than August 13, 2025.

You can rebook for another date between August 21 and September 12, 2025, or cancel your itinerary and put the unused portion towards a future travel credit.

If you keep your current booking and your flight is cancelled due to the labor dispute, Air Canada says it will attempt to rebook you on another flight, including those operated by other airlines, but is warning travelers that due to the summer travel peak, “rebooking you within an acceptable timeframe is low. If your travel is disrupted, you can always choose a refund.”

Travel Tidbits for a new week

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Here are some travel tidbits from the Stuck at the Airport inbox to help you ease into the week, including music and travel advice, contests for travel adventures and, of course, airport news.

Hello Kitty Day coming to Oracle Park

EVA Air is teaming up with the San Francisco Giants to host Hello Kitty Day at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

As part of Hello Kitty Day, the first 15,000 fans to enter Oracle Park on May 11 will each receive a Hello Kitty Bucket Hat. On that day, EVA President, Clay Sun, will throw out the first pitch while Hello Kitty and the Giants Mascot Lou Seal mug on the field.

For planespotters: EVA’s Hello Kitty “Shining Star Jet” is flying between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taipei, Taiwan. The Boeing 777-300ER is flying two days a week, on Fridays and Sundays, now through May 26. It will then shift to Sundays only, from June 2 to June 23.

Musical Travel Guides for Europe, courtesy of Air Canada

Air Canada asked three Québec artists – Charlotte Cardin, Alexandra Stréliski and Sarahmée – to create music playlists to go with their favorite European cities.

Charlotte Cardin focused on Paris.

Sarahmée visits Barcelona.

And Alexandra Stréliski shares her faves in Amsterdam.  

The playlists are available on the Air Canada website and Spotify. Give a listen.

Airline Satisfaction Study: Niceness wins.

J.D. Power’s 2024 North American Satisfaction study is out and concludes that investments some airlines have been making in trying to improve the overall flight experience with friendly, attentive service are paying off.

“The big takeaway from this year’s study is the power of people to positively influence the overall flight experience,” said Michael Taylor, J. D. Power senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service. “Airlines investing in staff training and recruitment are finding ways to overcome the negative effects of crowded gates and planes simply by being nice to their customers.”

The North America Airline Satisfaction Study measures performance in seven categories: airline staff; digital tools; ease of travel; level of trust; on-board experience; pre/post-flight experience; and value for price paid. Scores are tallied on a 1,000-point scale.

Here are the top lines in Customer Satisfaction, but segment.

First/Business: Delta Air Lines ranks highest with a score of 743. JetBlue Airways (736) ranks second.

Premium Economy segment: Delta Air Lines ranks highest for a second consecutive year, with a score of 716. Alaska Airlines (687) ranks second and American Airlines (684) ranks third.

Economy/Basic Economy: Southwest Airlines ranks highest in customer satisfaction in the economy/basic economy segment for a third consecutive year, with a score of 685. Delta Air Lines (651) ranks second and Allegiant Air (633) ranks third.

Holiday Travel Tidbits

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The Stuck at the Airport team was in Geneva, Switzerland this week for an education day with officials at the International Air Transport Association, IATA.

Topics ranged from passenger rights and travel accessibility issues to earnings, sustainability, biometrics, safety, security, air cargo, and more. We’ll be folding what we learned into many of our stories going forward, but we are glad that the odd holiday ‘decoration’ we spotted a few years ago at Geneva Airport was nowhere to be seen this time through.

Airports and airlines elsewhere approach the holidays with a more festive outlook.

Munich Airport (currently recovering from the fallout of a snow closure) transforms each winter into a holiday destination complete with ice skating and curling rinks.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) and many other airports also go all out with holiday decorations throughout their terminals.

Air Canada released its annual charming (if somewhat syrupy) holiday video:

But we still love this heartwarming video with the story of the Heathrow Bears from Heathrow Airport .

Travel Tidbits: Travel Ban + Air Canada

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In the news as the week ends…

A federal appeals court refused to reinstate President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

Trump’s response:

Meanwhile…

Air Canada is celebrating its 80th anniversary and on Thursday had a series of events in several Canadian cities  to introduce a new livery design and new employee uniforms.

The new design will eventually appear on Air Canada‘s fleet of 300 mainline and regional aircraft, but the first three aircraft sporting the new livery are already flying.

Stay tuned to StuckatTheAirport.com this weekend for a report on my 24 hour  – intended – stay at Charles de Gaulle Airport, with an overnight at the new in-terminal Yotel.  Plotting out my meals, my shopping and my sleeping in a tiny, windowless cabin.

 

Fun, photo-rich timeline celebrates Air Canada’s 75th birthday

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What do Frank Sinatra, Gina Lollobrigida, Louis Armstrong, Chubby Checker, Warren Beatty, Peter Fonda, Ronald Reagan and Bob Hope all have in common?

They were all passengers on Air Canada or its predecessor, Trans Canada Air Lines (TCA), sometime during the past 75 years.

As part of a slew of activities to mark its 75th anniversary, Air Canada has launched a great on-line timeline with more than 300 pictures, videos and vignettes that tell the story of the airline and of the evolution of Canada’s aviation industry.

Don’t worry if you’re not really interested in Air Canada’s story. Spend a little time poking around the timeline and you’ll see some really great celebrity photos, including the Beatles posing with their wax replicas in 1965 and, from 1941, Babe Ruth.

Good, bad and just plain wacky air travel fees and amenities

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Heading to the airport this holiday weekend? Check to make sure you’re up on the latest changes.

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Shoes out of the bin, buddy!

Like what? Well, the TSA has decided that you still need to take off your shoes and send them through the X-ray machine, but now those shoes need to ride on the belt on their own, outside of the plastic bin.  Got that?

There are other changes to make note of. Some are good, some are bad and, as I outlined in my Well Mannered Traveler column this week on MSNBC.com, some are just plain wacky.  Here’s what I mean:

No Kiss ‘n Drop tax; for now

In April, London’s Luton Airport announced that it would soon be charging a fee for the privilege of dropping passengers off outside the terminal. That “Kiss ‘n Fly” tax is now on hold.

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(O’Hare Airport has a Kiss n’ Fly drop-off spot with a free shuttle)

Ryanair’s “let just say everyone’s fat” tax

Ryanair was going to institute a large-passenger charge, but instead decided to just go ahead and charge everyone a new fee.  Print out your boarding pass before you go to the airport and you’ll pay a fee of about $5.  Forget to print out your boarding pass before you get to the airport and pay a much fatter fee of close to $60.  Ouch.

Loads of reasons to lighten your load

You’ll soon pay an extra fee on United and US Airways if you don’t go on-line and pre-pay the charge to check your luggage.  And Air Jamaica will soon begin taking your money for checking a second bag, but in return only promise to deliver it within seven days.

Pillows, snacks, fee-waivers, refunds, and perhaps a marriage proposal

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There’s  some good news. Experts predict that on-line travel booking agencies will continue to waive booking fees. Air Canada may bring free pillows back.  And JetBlue is extending the “Lose your job, get your money back” program through the end of the year.

There’s more.  To find out about matchmaking flights and on-board weddings, see my Well Mannered Traveler column this week on MSNBC.com.

Travel tidbits: bikes & air passenger rights for travelers in Canada

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As part of a growing eco-effort, guests staying at Fairmont Hotels across Canada will now be able to take advantage of a cool new amenity:  complimentary use of BMW cruise bikes. The hotels even promise to keep some child-sized bikes in stock.

Of course, they can’t have enough bikes for everyone, so priority will be given to members of the Fairmont President’s Club. (Joining that club is free and in addition to putting you at the front of the bike-line, you’ll also get free high-speed Internet access and some other benefits.)

bike-wheelsAnd speaking of Canada, stay tuned for more details about a proposed new passenger bill of rights that Air Canada and other Canadian airlines are putting forth in hopes of avoiding a new round of government regulations.  Submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency as a set of proposed “airline tariffs” the new rules spell out, for example,  how the airlines will handle delayed luggage and what will be done for passengers whose flights are delayed, cancelled, or overbooked.

One person – two seats – in two rows?

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One of my recent Well Mannered Traveler columns on MSNBC.com discussed the “tush test” Canadian airlines are asking travelers to undergo in order to take advantage of that country’s One Person/One Fare  laws.

So Gregg at FlightsfromHell sent along a  link to a story about a woman forced to purchase two airplane seats “for other people’s comfort.”

Unfortunately, the two seats the airline assigned her were not next to each other.

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