YXY to YVR to FRA to DME

Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted! I've had good reason, though. You see, I was out of the country for a little while.

I went to Siberia.

Seriously.

I'll chronicle parts of my trip over the next few entries, starting with this one.

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Flying to Vancouver

I was up way too early.  Flying with my least favourite airline in the world wasn't my choice.  The flight had been booked by the folks paying for my trip to Russia, so who was I to complain?

I don't know why they made the flight so early.  I once suspected they scheduled their flights that way so people can get from Whitehorse to Vancouver in time for 9:00 meetings.  Now I suspect it's for another reason.

In typical Air Canada fashion, there was a problem with the aircraft.  Air Canada has had problems with their plane every single time I've been scheduled to fly out of Whitehorse.  It's just one of the many reasons why I don't book with them.  To their credit, when it became clear that they weren't going to get the plane working any time soon, they bought all of the passengers tickets on the best airline on the continent - Air North.  I think the reason the Air Canada flights leave so early is so that they can book their passengers on a reliable airline's regularly scheduled flight when their plane doesn't work.  

There were a lot of very happy passengers.  The Air North plane is more comfortable, the flight crew is great, and they serve food for no additional cost.

It was the first time in ages that I can remember being happy with Air Canada.

Getting a Russian Visa
It takes some time getting a visa for Russian travel.  First there is the application for the letter of invitation, then one has to wait for the official letter of invitation, and then there's the visa application.

The visa requires an in-person application.  For residents of the Yukon, the in-person application needs to be made at the embassy in Ottawa - a mere 5,660km as the crow flies.  I hired a broker to handle the visa application, but it took so long for the letter of invitation to come that we weren't sure the visa was going to arrive on time.

It was tight.  Really tight.  I mean, it came down to they broker saying "we'll be there at the airport in Vancouver with your passport and visa" kind of tight.

But they did it.

On Tour at YVR
Did you know they offer school tours at the Vancouver airport?  I do.  That is, I do now - and they're great!  Although somewhat worried that I might come across as "the creepy guy who was following the school tour around" I did it anyway.  The tour guides are great, and I had no idea there were so many interesting stories behind the art and operations of YVR!



Sending the Sushi Back
I was originally planning on taking the Skytrain downtown to eat at one of my preferred sushi restaurants, but after getting my visa, checking my bag, taking a work-related phone call, and getting some Roubles, I didn't want to take the chance that I wouldn't make it back on time.  Instead, I opted to try one of the sushi restaurants in the airport.

It was a nice-looking place.  They had little boats floating in a chain that would, at some point, be loaded with dim sum.  I ordered the assorted sashimi and waited and waited and waited.

When it finally came I was starving.  Ready to tuck in, I got a whiff of old fish.

Eww.

I sniffed my plate and identified the source.  I looked around for one of the staff members.  Food poisoning is not a pleasant way to start an international journey.  There were no waiters or waitresses to be seen.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally caught the eye of one of the sushi chefs.  I let him know that one of the pieces smelled.  He scooped the dish up and went to work preparing an entirely new plate.  Which was good, because I was expecting him to take off just the offending pieces and replace them with two others.

The sushi was OK, but not great.  And the service still sucked, especially for what they charge.  Next time, I'll take a chance with the sky train.


Liftoff with Lufthansa
It was over ten hours to Frankfurt and another three to Moscow.  The planet was cloudy between Vancouver and Moscow and most of the trip was done in darkness, which meant that I didn't get to see any of the spectacular sights - like Baffin Island and Greenland - along the way.

Still, my neighbour on the YVR to FRA flight was good company and I managed to take numerous naps along the way, preparing me for the 12-hour time difference between Whitehorse and Moscow.



Clearing Customs
I was tired when we got to Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, but excited - and a little nervous.  Clearing customs in a foreign country can be a frightening experience, especially when language barriers get mixed into bureaucratic processes.

I stood in line and waited.  And then the booth closed.  I moved to another line and waited.  And then the booth closed.  By the third line, I was getting fed up.  New planes were arriving and the lines were getting long again.  Some guy tried to butt in front of me and I shoved him out of the way with my elbow.  It was very uncharacteristic of me, but I had read in more than one place that it's normal behaviour.  He got the message and, apparently, held no grudge.

It was finally my turn and I stepped forward.  The young lady behind the counter took my passport, scanned it into some sort of device and then kept looking and me and smiling in a manner that made me somewhat... uncomfortable.  It wasn't like she was checking me out to make sure my face matched my passport, it was like she was checking me out because she was checking me out.  I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I stared at her like a deer in the headlights.

After what seemed like an eternity of staring and smiling, she let me through.

The Taxi Ride
Domodedovo Airport is a fair distance outside of Moscow. Depending on traffic, it's at least an hour's ride.  A driver was supposed to meet our small Yukon contingent, but the one driver that we saw holding a "Canada" sign didn't want to have anything to do with us.  We arranged for a taxi for 2,000 roubles (about $70 CAD).

Our taxi driver was in the wrong profession.  He should have been a stunt driver.  He wove in and out of traffic with the greatest of speed, not caring that the air temperature was near freezing and the road was wet from melted snow.  I saw my life flash before me no less than six times.  When we got stuck in traffic he turned the car off, got out, and smoked a cigarette.  Later, he swore at a police officer.  In fact, there was only one word that he said that we knew and that was just one of the many words he used.

The Hotel
I walked past the security guards and up to the front desk of the Mariott Tverskaya.  After getting my key I went straight up to my room and crawled into bed.  It was nearly 11:00 pm in Moscow (which was actually 11:00 am for me, but by that point it didn't matter).  I slept right through to the morning. Oh, the sweet bliss of a comfy bed!

There was no time to be jet lagged.  In the morning we would be participating in a cultural program: a tour of Moscow.

But that's the next entry.

Clever!

This clever picture was taken off of a CBC article about Air Canada's latest layoffs (2,000 people!). I think it describes everything about the company quite beautifully.

They say a picture says a thousand words and I say this photographer deserves a raise.

Customer Service - Doin' it right

Instead of complaining about customer service, this time I've got two accounts of it being done right. It gives me hope.

Saputo
On my last driving trip from the NWT, I purchased a Milk2Go from the gas station. When it came time to drink it, I just couldn't. There was nothing wrong with the milk - it was the bottle. The edge of the bottle smelled foul.

The day after I got home, I called the toll-free number on the bottle. I was directed to Deborah's voice mail where I left a message. What? No call centre? Before long, I got a call back from Deborah who listened to my story.   She took the relevant information and told me that she would look into it and find out why I got a stinky bottle.

The next day, she called back again. She had spoken to the food scientists/production people and explained to me what had made the smell.

Today I got a letter from her with a voucher for a replacement of my Milk2Go, but more importantly (to me), she let me know that they told their quality services folks about the problem. And she thanked me for letting them know. 

OK, so it may have been a form letter, but it was signed by her, in pen.

She did everything right when handling my customer complaint.  She:

1. Listened to my concerns.
2. Promptly investigated my concerns.
3. Explained the cause of the problem.
4. Did something to help prevent it from happening again.
5. Thanked me for helping them identify a problem.

NorthwestTel

I've got to take my hat off to Lorraine, the Acting Manager at the NorthwesTel Customer Care Centre.   She got it right, too.

After my experience trying to set up a NorthwesTel Sympatico account, I had just about given up.  I was stubborn, though, and insisted on leaving a message with a manager at  NorthwesTel even though the customer service agent insisted that the Sympatico service "wasn't theirs."  As far as I was concerned, if a business promotes a service by using its brand, even if it's provided by someone else, it's just as much that businesses' responsibility as it is the service provider's.

The manager that I left a message with was Lorraine.  Lorrained called me back to tell me what was going on (which I knew), but more importantly, she told me what was being done about it, and we can expect some announcements from NorthwesTel in the coming months.

I had a couple of questions that required follow-up, which she did diligently, helpfully, and happily.  Hat's-off to Lorraine; employees like her are worth their weight in gold.  I am no longer as annoyed with NorthwesTel as I was.  In fact, I might even be a little happy with them, all because of Lorraine's customer service skills.

Now, if only Air Canada would start paying attention.

Air Canada - A room full of monkeys?

I received a letter from the Canadian Transportation Agency the other day, regarding my complaint about Air Canada's treatment of my Granny and how they endangered her life by refusing her access. Of course, Air Canada's argument was that allowing her on the flight posed a safety concern (even though this would have left her stranded in Whitehorse, endangering her life).

Really, it could have all been avoided if the ticket agent had taken a few moments to get a better understanding of the situation, been a little more courteous, and used her own brain, and I might have been placated if Air Canada's customer complaints person had been a little less dismissive of how serious a problem this could have been. I would hate to see this happen to someone else, but that door's been left wide open.

Maybe Air Canada should hire Ms. Tarryn Elliott, the Complaints Investigator for the Air Travel Complaints Program who handled my case. It's not what I wanted to hear, but at least her letter shows a little bit of genuine compassion...

The Letter I Received from the Canadian Transportation Agency

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January 4, 2007

This is further to your complaint filed with the Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) concerning the difficulties you encountered when arranging travel for your grandmother with Air Canada.

First and foremost, please allow me to extend my best wishes to your grandmother during this difficult time. I hope her condition improves and wish her the best of luck during her treatment.

Concerning your complaint, I must advise you that the mandate of the Agency and more specifically, the Air Travel Complaints Program, is to ensure that a carrier has abided by its terms and conditions as found in its tariff. "Terms and conditions of carriage" are provisions contained in an air carrier's tariff that the carrier applies to all its passengers regardless of the fare paid. They spell out the various benefits and limitations associated with the air transportation service being provided. Terms and conditions of carriage cover a number of topics, including but not limited to, the carrier's rules with respect to flight cancellations, delays, schedule changes, and denied boarding due to overbooking.

With respect to Air Canada's tariff, the relevant information can be found in Rule 33, which states:

"Air Canada reserves the right to require a medical clearance from the company medical authorities if travel involves unusual risk or hazard to the passenger or to other persons (including, in the case of pregnant passengers, unborn children)."

Effectively, what this means is that carriers may require that a passenger with a medical condition submit to a medical examination by a doctor selected by Air Canada before allowing them to travel. While the situation is very unfortunate, it appear that Air Canada has respected the terms and conditions of its tariff.

While I truly appreciate the difficulties you experience, I trust you understand that the Agency cannot be of further assistance; therefore I will be closing your file.

Sincerely

Ms. Tarryn Elliot
Complaints investigator
Air Travel Complaints Program

cc. Gord McGregor, Air Canada Customer Solutions (By fax: 1-866-584-0380)

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So, Air Canada's got "Terms and conditions of carriage" to hide behind. It reminds me of a story I once heard about a bunch of monkeys...

Some scientists locked ten monkeys in a room. In one corner of the room was a bunch of bananas. If one of the monkeys approached the bananas, all the other monkeys would get wet. It didn't take long for the monkeys to realise that, if one monkey went for a banana, they had better stop that monkey or else they would get soaked. The next poor monkey who went for a banana got beat-up by all the other monkeys.

The scientists removed one of the monkeys from the room and a new one was put in its place. Seeing the bananas, and not knowing what would happen, he went for them. All the other monkeys beat him up. It didn't take long for the new monkey to realise that, if one of the monkeys went for a banana, it was his job to beat that monkey up.

One-by-one, all the original monkeys were removed until none of the monkeys in the room had ever been soaked, yet the monkeys still beat-up any new monkey that tried to approach the bananas.

And that's a little like policy. It's put into place for a reason. In the case of Air Canada, it was put into place for the safety of its passengers (one would hope). But policy applied blindly causes problems of its own. And so, I have to ask, is Air Canada nothing more than a room full of monkeys?

I've gotten rid of my Aerogold Visa, I'm going to use up my Aeroplan points, and I plan on never flying with Air Canada again. Of course, I would encourage you to do the same, but it's your choice if you want to support a company that cares more about blindly following policy than it does about actually serving its customers well.

So, what are my next steps? Any suggestions?

Case closed?

I decided to check the status of my case¹ with the Canadian Transportation Agency today. They have a handy little feature where you enter your case number and it tells you status of your case; nothing else, just where your case is at. For months, I have been waiting for my case to be assigned.

Today, I noticed that my case was closed on January 4th. Nobody from the CTA ever contacted me regarding the case, which leaves me wondering when or if I will ever hear about why the case has been closed (and if Air Canada is going to have to do anything about the crappy way they treated my Granny - and possibly others in a similar situation.)

Naturally, I sent of a quick note via their online form to enquire...

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I filed my complaint (06-50788) on November 1st, 2006. When I looked at the status of my complaint, I noticed it was closed on January 4th, 2007.

Nobody has contacted me regarding this case. I was wondering when, how, or if I will be contacted to explain why the case has been closed.

Thanks for your assistance.

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Stay tuned...

¹Also available under the tag "Air Canada sucks".

Air Canada - Improving Every Day

While on one of our milkrun flights from Ottawa to Whitehorse (it could have been much quicker if we weren't flying on points), I was impressed to see an article from the CEO about how Air Canada is trying to improve. After all, recognising that you have a problem is the first step to recovery.

And I was pleased to see that Air Canada only lost one of our suitcases this time. Hopefully it'll turn up today.

Air Canada Jazz - Fewer amenities for better rates. Yes, even that.

It was cold in Whitehorse last night. It was -37.7^oC and dropping when Fawn checked the temperature just before we went to bed. As we were lying in bed and talking, I wondered if our 6:45 Air Canada Jazz ¹ flight would even go in the morning.

I don't plug in the car very often, but it was one of the first things I did this morning. The cold showed no signs of leaving. Dark and early, we drove down to the airport, checked in, and I drove back home to drop off the car.

As crazy as it may seem, this is the kind of weather I like best. There's not much you can do when it gets too hot, but at this time of year, when "Old Man Winter" decides to flex his muscles, you can at least dress for it. I dropped off the car and started my walk to the airport. I was bundled warmly, except for my legs. By the time I arrived at the airport terminal, the skin on my thighs were starting to sting from the contact with my cold pants. I was grateful I hadn't worn jeans (and had, in fact, seriously considered wearing my snowpants).

Into the plane and, after some seat shuffling, wing de-icing, and waiting for unknown causes, we were on our way.

The flight attendant announced that there would be no hot drinks because the coffee and hot water machine froze during the night. People seemed to be okay with that, since most of them were already asleep. A few splurged on the $5 muffins.

Part-way into the flight, the attendant answered a page on the phone. We couldn't hear what the voice on the other end was saying, but we could hear every word the attendant said since the phone was broadcasting his side of the conversation over the intercom².

"The tea and coffee machine is frozen. I can't make any."

"The toilet is frozen, too.

This was news to everyone, since they had only been informed about the tea and coffee machine being frozen. Some of the passengers started to snicker at this point, since the attendant was still clueless that his voice was being broadcast over the intercom.

"Just some pee. No, nothing else."

The chuckling in the passenger cabin increased.

"There's not much I can do about that."

"No, nobody can use the toilet. That's right, it's frozen, too."

The passengers were now guffawing, and the attendant still didn't realise that everyone could hear him.

"Do you know a way to thaw it out?"

"Oh, just a moment," he said, looking at the laughing passengers and realising that he was the in-flight entertainment, "Let me call you back."

Later, he explained that the pilots were giving him a hard time because they were desperate for coffee. That was frightening enough in itself. Still, I take some comfort in knowing that even the pilots get reduced service on Air Canada Jazz.


¹We're using up our points and when that's done, no more Air Canada - for reasons that you may already be aware of. Of course, the beautiful irony of this posting is that I'm using the Air Canada Lounge wireless network in Vancouver to make this posting - from outside of the lounge.
²Not an exact transcription. Slightly abridged.

I have seen these on airplanes.

There is a scourge in the skies: Almond slices.

I cannot believe these things are allowed on planes, placed inconspicously on top of little desserts. Granted, I've never had a problem with these little slices of nuts while on a plane, but the potential is there...

This morning while eating my cereal, an almond slice, in a bid to avoid being eaten and digested, lodged itself in the roof of my mouth between my front right inscisor and my gums.

A wave of pain and discomfort filled my head. With my tongue, I could feel the mound of bulging gum with the almond slice hidden neatly beneath.

After a few unsuccessful minutes of attempting to dislodge the almond slice from its gummy nest, I phoned the dentist's office. They booked me an appointment for fifty minutes after I called.

In the end, I never had to go to the dentist. After about twenty minutes of swelling, the blood in my gums pushed the almond slice out. The rush of blood filled my mouth with a salty taste, but after running my tongue over my gums, I could feel that things were back to normal.

Now, if you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that I am a little...annoyed...with Air Canada. This is the same Air Canada that is so concerned with passenger comfort and safety that they wouldn't let my poor Granny onto their plane.

To Air Canada I ask, if you won't let my Granny onto a plane, why do you (when your flights actually serve food) allow these dangerous little almond slices?!

Air Canada complaint filed with CTA.

Well, I filed the Air Canada complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency's Air Travel Complaints Program this afternoon. What I found interesting was that my Granny's situation seemed to qualify as a Disability-Related Complaint. The form certainly covered her situation a lot better than the general travel complaints form.

It's strange thinking of my Granny as someone with a disability; she's always been so...able! It was when she tried my brother's rollerblades that we started calling her Supergran. Now, after ten days of radiation treatment and the arc of stitches on her head, she's affectionately referred to as Frankengranny. She's in the process of going through a bunch of tests and scans. They're looking for other unwanted doodads in her body.

I don't know when the CTA will get back to me, but they state that it's their policy to resolve issues within 120 days. So, hopefully we'll get this all sorted out sometime before March 1, 2007.

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Don't know what I'm talking about? Follow these links:

1. An open letter to anyone who cares. And Air Canada.
2. The Saga Continues.
3. Air Canada really listens to the concerns of their customers. Yeah, right.
4. Air Canada's responses fly a little quicker...
5. Air Canada - Oh, this is rich!!!
   

Air Canada - Oh, this is rich!!!

The latest and probably last response from Air Canada...
(You can read what they're replying to here.)

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Response (Twyla Robinson) - 10/24/2006 01:58 PM
Dear Mr. Pealow:

Thank you for your email.

While we appreciate your continued interest in this matter, the information you are requesting is considered internal and we are unable to disclose this to you.

We trust you understand our position.

Sincerely,
Twyla Robinson

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My frist reaction was to laugh. I saw this coming. A sad commentary on Air Canada.

My second reaction was to wonder why they are unable to disclose this information to me. I was able to come to an answer to that question pretty quickly. And I imagine you have too, so I won't bother spelling it out, but it rhymes with "BECAUSE THEY AREN'T DOING ANYTHING".

Of course, I sent a response...

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I neither understand your position nor anything confidential about this matter. While it is certainly an internal issue (re: problem), I see no reason to obstruct disclosure on the matter. Especially since my concerns are regarding passenger comfort and safety.

I will be taking the issue to the Canadian Transportation Agency Air Travel Complains Program.

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Canadian Transportation Agency Air Travel Complains Program, here I come!

Air Canada's responses fly a little quicker...

Does this message give you the impression that Air Canada just wants me to go away? Not going to happen. The more they dawdle on this issue, the more determined I get. In many ways, this is for their own good. As usual, my response is included, below.

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Discussion Thread
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Response (Twyla Robinson) - 10/19/2006 09:23 AM
Dear Mr. Pealow:

We regret you remain dissatisfied.

However, we believe we have responded to your concerns but we do appreciate your feedback.  It has been documented and forwarded to the Medical Officer for internal planning considerations.

Thank you again for contacting our office.

Sincerely,
Twyla Robinson

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Wow! They forwarded this issue on to the Medical Officer (the only part of Air Canada that actually made an effort to help in some way)! Now, are we making Air Canada take "Baby steps. Little tiny baby steps...", or is Air Canada just trying to pass the buck and hope I'll go away?

Based on past experiences with Air Canada? I'm guessing the latter. My response:

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Thank you for forwarding this case to the Medical Officer. I believe this is a positive step.

For my comfort, to ensure that this is not a case of "passing the buck", I would like to know if the medical officer has the authority to provide passengers requiring medical clearance priority access on flights. I would also like to know IF and WHEN I will be informed of any action or inaction on my recommendations taken by the Medical Officer.

If you are unable to provide this information, I would be grateful if you would forward the Medical Officer's coordinates to me.

And thank you for continuing to address this situation. I am sure that, in the future, passengers requiring medical clearance (and their families) will be grateful if Air Canada takes the actions I've recommended to ensure THEIR comfort and safety.

---

I'm pretty sure they'll respond. I think that, according to policy, they have no choice. But will they actually respond to my questions, or will it be an e-mail full of empty apologies (or just plain telling me to go away)?

Anybody want to bet?

Air Canada really listens to the concerns of their customers. Yeah, right.

If you haven't been following the continuing adventures of my Granny and our issue with Air Canada, you can catch up here and then here.

My Granny is now on her third of ten days of radiation treatment.

I just received a response from Air Canada regarding my last e-mail. I could tell right off the bat that the costomer complaints person read the letter and really took it to heart. Just kidding. I'm not even sure that the letter was even read. Here is Air Canada's response to my concerns:

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Response (Twyla Robinson) - 10/18/2006 02:52 PM

Dear Mr. Pealow:

Thank you for the follow-up.

We understand your disappointment.  However, our tariff, as filed with the Ministry of Transportation, indicates that Air Canada reserves the right to require a medical clearance from the Company Medical Authorities if travel involves any unusual risk or hazard to the passenger or to other persons.  Our processes are in place for the comfort and safety of everyone involved.

We appreciate your feedback and we apologize for the impression you now have.

Sincerely,
Twyla Robinson

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Hmm, now maybe I'm missing something, but that didn't really seem to address any of the issues that I raised in my last e-mail...

Of course, I'm not wiling to let this rest until this problem is solved. I shudder to think that there will be other people who have this happen to them. But I sudder more to think that Air Canada doesn't seem to want to do a darned thing about it.

I sent the following reply:

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I believe that you have completely missed the point of my concerns. I am not questioning Air Canada's right to require medical clearances; I AM questioning the manner in which it is done and how it impacts passengers who require medical clearance.

You claim that Air Canada's "processes are in place for the comfort and safety of everyone involved," yet those same processes endangered my Granny. How can you honestly make this claim?

Please re-read my previous response. If you are unclear about my concerns (the manner in which medical clearances are given and access to flights for passengers who require Air Canada medical clearance), please feel free to ask for clarification.

If, however, I do not receive a satisfactory response, I will be taking this issue to the Canadian Transportation Agency's Air Travel Complaints Program.

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Am I out of my tree here? Is Air Canada in the right and I'm just complaining about something that shouldn't even be an issue?

The Saga Continues

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to not let Air Canada explain their side of the story, so I have posted their response below. Following that, you can find my reply to their response as well as an update on my Granny.

To all those who have shared your concern for my Granny's health and your hopes for her recovery, thank you.

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Air Canada's response to my previous letter.

Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Twyla Robinson) - 09/27/2006 02:03 PM
Dear Mr. Pealow:

Thank you for your email.

We are sorry to learn of your grandmother's sudden illness. We can appreciate how upsetting this was for your family and we apologize for disappointing you.

Air Canada is committed to providing safe, comfortable travel to all of our passengers. In doing so, we must ensure customers with certain known illnesses or injuries be approved for travel by an Air Canada medical officer before they will be accepted. This requires a minimum of 24 hours.

Medical approval is not done to inconvenience customers. It is done to ensure a customer is fit to travel and if in the event of an on-board emergency, we are aware of the situation and prepared to deal with it.

We regret you feel the airport agent was unsympathetic. Please be assured our employees are caring and compassionate. When you told her about your grandmother's health concerns, she had no option but initiate MEDA proceedings not only in accordance with our policy but more importantly for your grandmother's well-being.

We are sorry we could not provide the clearance to confirm the flight requested. Our Refund Services Department will review the unused ticket portions and refund any value to the original form of payment.

We hope, Mr. Pealow, you understand our position and thank you for the opportunity to respond.

Sincerely,
Twyla Robinson
Customer Solutions

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My Response to Air Canada's Letter (currently waiting for a reply)

Thank you for replying to my previous correspondence and thank you for refunding the unused portion of my grandparent's tickets.

However, please understand that I am NOT assured that Air Canada employees are "caring and compassionate". Not only was the airport agent unsympathetic, she was inconsiderate and rude. While I'm sure she was just following Air Canada policy, it is a policy that does not allow employees to use their brains (discretion), nor their compassion.

And I fully understand Air Canada's reasons for having medical clearance (both legally and for passenger comfort), but what I do not agree with is:

1. The fact that passengers who have or need medical clearance are not given priority access on flights, especially when the flights are full and the next available flight is several days away.
2. The fact that passengers (especially on your northern flights) may be STRANDED in an unsafe situation because Air Canada chooses not to fly them.
3. The lack of support or advocacy to help us through the medical clearance process. "You have to do this... Now you have to do that..." There were other things I would have rather been doing than worrying about how to get my Granny home and making sure Air Canada got its paperwork done; like spending what little time I had left with her during her abruptly shortened visit. Once she "needed" her medical clearance, it felt like nobody wanted to have anything to do with her. Forget about actually helping.
4. It was a medical doctor who decided it was necessary for her to FLY home, and that his decision wasn't good enough for Air Canada. Not to mention the fact that he had to spend the time filling out Air Canada's paperwork on his time off work.

So, what I want to know is, what changes will be made to ensure that what happened to us does not happen to other people in similar situations?

Suggestions:

1. That the agents take the time to understand the condition before blocking a passenger from a flight (which, in my case, seemed to be very confrontational). While the agents are not licensed medical doctors, it couldn't hurt to have the proper information/risks on file.
2. The patient's doctor's clearance is acceptable, accompanied by a waiver, signed by the passenger or guardian, stating that they are aware of the risks of travel.
3. *** Priority access to flights, including fully booked flights ***
4. Full support and advocacy from the medical centre, including making flight arrangements.
5. NO transfer fees if flights are being changed for medical reasons.
6. Free upgrades for passengers requiring medical clearance, especially if they are going to be forced to take a red-eye flight.
7. 24-support from the medical centre to ensure that approvals can be completed in a short time frame (and 24 hours is NOT a short timeframe).

I look forward to your reply.

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Granny Update
Even though there are fears that there is a secondary tumour somewhere else, they decided to operate on the brain tumour anyways.

Spending some pre-operation time looking at a photo album of their trip that Fawn made for them. Note the nifty doo-dads stuck to my Granny's head that will help them find the tumour.

They used a local anaesthetic and kept her awake for most of the surgery. How strange would that feel, with someone poking around in your brain while you lay there talking to them? She was nervous before and during the surgery but, true to form, she had the staff in stitches. And she got staples.

That's one heck of a battle scar!

I'm told there were a rough couple of nights in the hospital, but now my Granny's home, getting around a little with the assistance of a walker.

Who knows what will happen next? We'll just have to wait.

An open letter to anyone who cares. And Air Canada.

This letter was published in the Whitehorse Daily Star on Friday, September 22. Please feel free to share it with all your friends and your local media and your friends in your local media. A post-script follows.

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An open letter to anyone who cares. And Air Canada.
I live in Whitehorse, just a few thousand kilometres away from the rest of my family. We don't get to visit very often, which is why I was overjoyed when I learned that my Granny and Pop (grandparents) were coming to visit my wife, our 7 ½ month-old daughter, and me, for two weeks.

Unfortunately, halfway through their visit, my Granny had what we initially thought was a "mini-stroke".

My Granny is the kind of woman who lights up a room with her pyrotechnic charm. She makes friends with everyone within seconds of meeting them. She's the type of person who cares so much about people that she was more concerned with the "poor doctor" she was "bothering" than she was about herself.

After spending the rest of the day in the hospital and half of the next, the doctor informed us that an aggressive brain tumour had caused the attack. He prescribed the appropriate medications and advised that my Granny fly home immediately for specialized medical care, medical care that is unavailable in the Yukon. Because of the nature of the tumour, he suggested that my family enjoy the remaining time they have with her.

There were two Air Canada flights out of Whitehorse the next day, the airline they flew in with. Because they were travelling to the Toronto area and it would be too much of a strain on them, the evening flight was not an option. I needed to get my grandparents on the morning flight so they could fly through to Toronto in one day, but was informed by the booking agent on the telephone that the flight was full. Since I live near the airport, I decided to go to the booking desk to see if there was anything they might be able to do to help.

I explained the situation and was informed by the Air Canada agent that, "because you've disclosed this to us, we can't let her fly until she's received medical clearance."

I informed her that it was our doctor who told us to get her on the next flight home.

"No," she informed me, "she'll need medical clearance from our doctor."

I tried to explain the condition some more, but the agent said, "Because you've told me that, I'll need to record that also.

Look," she went on, "if I let her on the flight without this clearance and something happens, you would be the first to sue. I could lose my job."

I was shocked that this woman had the gall to assume that I would sue if something happened, but was more shocked that this uncaring woman was more concerned with her job than she was with the health and safety of another individual.

And I said so, to which she exclaimed that she was offended.

Upon latter reflection I failed to mention that I would understand if something happened on the flight ? but that I would sue if she didn't get on the flight, her only means to get to the medical care she needs.

The agent beside her gave me a phone number for Air Canada's medical centre, so instead of spending some quality time with my Granny ? likely the last time I would get the chance to spend with her again ? I spent the rest of the day trying to get Air Canada?s paperwork filled out.

Because the Air Canada medical centre was closed before receiving the documents they requested from the doctor, I was up at 4:45 in the morning (the centre opens at 8:00 EST) to ensure that things had gone through.

They hadn't, but to her credit, the woman at the medical centre tried to get a doctor to review the documents right away.

The flight was at 6:55 and I still didn't have the tickets.

The woman from the medical centre, while she waited for a doctor, called me back and told me to try and book the flight.

I told her that they wouldn't let me without the clearance letter.

She told me to try anyways, so I did.

Again, there was "nothing that can be done" to switch the tickets to the morning flight so, in desperation, we decided to switch their tickets to the evening flight and to try upgrade their tickets on the Vancouver-Toronto leg to executive class so they could be more comfortable on the trip home. Then the agent informed me that the upgrade fees would $1,500. Each. For the Vancouver-Toronto leg only. This was in addition to what they already spent for their tickets. Choking back my disbelief, I told the agent to "have a pleasant day" though there were several other words I wanted to express, and hung up the phone.

And this was my experience with Air Canada, the company that seems to care more about covering its own butt than it does about its passengers.

We eventually got the clearance, but by then it was too late. I had already booked them passage with Air North and WestJet, both of which provided exceptional assistance to my grandparents and treated them like royalty. Of course, we still need to cancel my grandparent?s original Air Canada tickets and I fully expect them to charge their cancellation fees, or even better, to give my grandparents a "credit for a future flight."

And I have to agree with my Granny when, with her unfailing wit, she exclaimed, "Well, I'll never fly with Air Canada again!"

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Postscript
I sent this letter to Air Canada. If I receive a response, I should receive it by October 3rd. ("You should expect a response from us within 10 business days.") My uncle tried to get my grandparents' tickets refunded. The best he could get was a credit for a future flight, good until one year after the date of purchase.

The medical and support staff Whitehorse General Hospital were fantastic, both diagnosing and helping us deal with this. I can imagine it's not easy news to give. Then, when Air Canada wanted their paperwork done, Dr. Tadepalli was there, on his time off, to see that it got done.

The day after she got home, my Granny saw her doctor. The day after that, she was seen by an oncologist. Whether it's because of the medication, the stress, or the tumour, she has started shaking. Who knows how things would have progressed if she had been stuck in Whitehorse?

My Granny goes in for surgery tomorrow. We have no idea how it will turn out, but at least they're trying to do something. Unlike Air Canada.