Apparently the ultra-low cost of Flair is coming at a cost, with more than 20 per cent of its flights generating some sort of complaint to the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA), federal data shows.
While gripes about air travel are not unusual, the CTA, the quasi-judicial body that regulates air transportation, found Flair had the dubious distinction of trailing all other major carriers on customer satisfaction in the first quarter of 2023.
In the January-March period, the CTA received 20.9 complaints for every 100 Flair flights. That compares to 10.7 for WestJet and 5.8 for Air Canada.
Other low-cost carriers — which generally charge less for fares, only to add on ancillary fees for things like seat selection, baggage and live-agent customer service — performed better than Flair despite a similar business model.
Lynx, a fledgling Calgary-based carrier, had 5.2 complaints per 100 flights.
Sunwing, a leisure airline that was recently acquired by WestJet, was the second-worst carrier for complaints after Flair — it generated 17.4 complaints for every 100 flights, said the CTA. Swoop, WestJet’s discount sister brand, was the subject of 16 complaints per 100 flights.
Some complaints about Flair include last-minute flight cancellations, hours-long delays, lost bags and rebooked flights that are days or weeks away from the original date of departure.
Flair defended its record in an emailed statement.
Last month, a Flair spokesperson said the airline flew more than 436,000 passengers, with 82.1 per cent of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.
“We want every passenger to have a great experience with the airline, and the majority of our passengers do,” a spokesperson for the airline said.
“In the last several months, we have taken concrete steps to improve our responsiveness to customers in our communication channels, and the result is more responsive communications, and faster and successful resolution of customer inquiries.” Read more.
Do you have a gripe against an airline? Tell us all about it. Email marketplace@cbc.ca.
Here’s why we may never be rid of spam calls
Pradeep Selvaraj, of Whitby, Ont., says he still received a lot of spam calls. He recently posted an educational video about scam calls on YouTube. (Submitted by Pradeep Selvaraj)
Spam calls — or “scam calls” as they’re also known — have become an infuriating part of life. By now, most people are well acquainted with fraudsters trying to dupe you out of your cash by impersonating government officials or Amazon employees.
“I’m still getting a lot of spam calls,” said Pradeep Selvaraj, an IT professional in Whitby, Ont., who has posted about the issue on his YouTube channel.
Salvaraj estimates he receives two to three calls a week from scammers — often while at work. They claim they’re from the “CRA, RCMP, duct cleaning, Amazon, UPS shipping and the list goes on,” he said. “It’s very annoying.”
Many people had high hopes such calls would stop when, in late 2021, the CRTC, Canada’s telecom regulator, introduced new technology called STIR/SHAKEN. It lets telecoms detect calls that use spoofed or altered phone numbers to disguise their true identity.
But STIR/SHAKEN was never meant to be more than a partial solution and, some 18 months later, has yet to be entirely implemented. Those are some of the reasons scam calls aren’t going away anytime soon.
Another hurdle is that fraudsters are catching on. Experts say they can bypass the STIR/SHAKEN technology by purchasing real Canadian numbers, despite being located around the world.
Telus, Bell and Rogers all say they have programs in place to try and fight scam calls, but if your phone is ringing as much as ours are, you already know it’s not foolproof. Read more.
Marketplace has covered scam calls for more than five years, including travelling to India to identify scam centres calling Canadians, and intercepting scam calls and trying to stop people from losing money. You can watch those stories and more on CBC Gem.
The Bank of Canada has hiked the interest rate again — and there may be more to come
The Bank of Canada, shown here in Ottawa on July 12, 2022, hiked its benchmark interest rate to 4.75 per cent this week. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
The Bank of Canada decided to raise its benchmark interest rate to 4.75 per cent on Wednesday.
It’s the first time the central bank has raised its trendsetting interest rate since January, when the bank signalled it would conditionally pause its aggressive campaign of rate hikes to wait and see if it had done enough to bring down inflation.
Since then, the data has shown the Canadian economy to be unexpectedly resilient, as it has grown more than expected. After declining for nine months in a row, the inflation rate unexpectedly ticked higher last month.
The bank’s latest move to increase its rate from 4.5 per cent to 4.75 per cent takes it to its highest level since 2001.
The big banks have also moved to match the rate hike, moving the prime rate to 6.95 per cent.
Brian Yu, an economist with Central 1 Credit Union, told CBC News this week that he was surprised the bank did what it did.
“I really don’t think that it’s necessary for further hikes at this point,” he said, noting that it typically takes at least 18 months for the full impact of rate hikes to be felt, which raises questions as to why the bank thought another was necessary after only standing pat for a short time.
“I think there could have been a little more patience in terms of whether or not to hike, but clearly given some of the more recent data that’s popped up, the bank felt that that was sufficient enough for them to move again,” he said.
“There is obviously a risk that they could hike again if these numbers aren’t starting to ease off, but my view is that they probably shouldn’t.” Read more.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
