TORONTO —
WestJet and Air Canada will soon begin selling every seat on their flights again, ending their attempts at physical distancing — a decision that has left many passengers demanding refunds.
Starting July 1, passengers will no longer be spaced apart on flights as the airlines begin offering the middle seats for sale, once blocked off in an effort to space passengers due to COVID-19.
But customers who purchased a ticket expecting not to have anyone sitting in the adjacent seat are unlikely to see a refund if they choose not to fly in light of the decision, according to Gabor Lukacs, President of Air Passenger Rights, an advocacy group for flyers.
“I would say passengers who were misled to believe that there would be no one in the middle seat have every right to a refund,” he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
“[But] I don’t anticipate airlines to voluntarily part from their money, which is why I don’t recommend flying with any Canadian airlines at the moment.”
Under contract law, Lukacs said, passengers should have grounds for complaint, since they expected a different experience when they purchased their tickets than what the actual experience will be. However, he doubts anyone will be able to convince an airline to hold up their end of the bargain.
“They are not refunding tickets for cancelled flights,” he pointed out, adding that he anticipates airlines will “give passengers a hard time” if they try to get a refund over the change in seat policy, even though airlines have “renege[d] on their promise not to seat anyone else next to them.”
Passengers will still be given pre-boarding temperature checks, and masks will be mandatory. But experts note, despite these measures, consumers are still taking a risk.
“We do the best screening we can, wear the best masks we can, we keep them on all night long when we’re on an overnight flight and things like that,” Dr. Ronald St. John, Director General of Public Health Agency of Canada, told CTV News.
“And we hope that the risk is minimal. It won’t be zero.”
Ticket holders uncomfortable with boarding a packed plane can rebook for free, the airlines say.
Normally, if an airline cancels a flight themselves, that’s the one time that a passenger can be guaranteed a refund, unless they want to ask for a credit instead.
However, Canadian airlines have come under fire during the pandemic for refusing refunds to customers in many cases and offering only vouchers instead.
“After stealing passengers’ money, Canadian airlines are now set to play Russian roulette with passengers’ lives to make a buck,” Lukacs said.
Several airlines operating out of the U.S. are also saying goodbye to physical distancing.
American Airlines is set to start selling every seat on their flights come July 1, and United Airlines has been flying without physical distancing for at least a month and a half. A photo of a plane packed with passengers, allegedly a United Airlines flight, picked up a lot of traffic and outrage when posted on Twitter in early May.
While Transport Canada recommends physical distancing on flights to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it’s not law.
On WestJet’s website, the airline states that they decided to end the blocking off of adjacent seats because they are following the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) guidance for global health and safety.
They say IATA’s guidelines support removing physical distancing because they are already providing other protections against the virus, such as HEPA filters to clean recirculated air, airflow being directed up instead of forward or backward, and “the physical barrier of seat backs.”
The IATA, Lukacs pointed out, is not a health organization, but an airline association, which he says is serving the financial interests of airlines.
“I’m not hearing a clear, obvious explanation from the airlines, nor have I seen any scientific research that would justify what the airlines are doing,” he said. “What the airlines are doing puts not only the passengers themselves at risk, but also anyone who comes into contact with them at the destination.
“There is a reason why there is a requirement for social distancing at the airport terminal, on buses, […] even outside,” he added. “What would be more better in terms of safety than being outside? When you have lots of fresh air surrounding you, constant circulation of air — and they still tell you to stay two meters away from another person.”
The decision to end physical distancing on flights is not one that customers are taking lightly.
Many have flooded social media with complaints and concerns, calling for explanations — and refunds — from Air Canada and WestJet.
“I just read that @WestJet has cancelled their seat distancing policy? Is this true? I booked my senior citizen mom on one of your flights because of this policy,” one Twitter user wrote. “I hope you plan to offer a full refund because this is NOT acceptable. Profit over people seems to be the protocol.”
Another user wrote that they had waited for three hours on hold to talk to WestJet representatives, only to receive no help.
“[They] informed me that no refunds would be forthcoming and no special seating accommodations would be made for INFANTS who CANNOT WEAR MASKS,” Twitter user Alex Willis wrote. “Disgraceful. I hope @GovCanHealth @transportc have a reasonable explanation for this.”
Just got off the phone with @WestJet after a 3 hour hold. Informed me that no refunds would be forthcoming and no special seating accomodations would be made for INFANTS who CANNOT WEAR MASKS. Disgraceful. I hope @GovCanHealth@transportc have a reasonable explanation for this.
Lukacs emphasized that the onus for this situation is not just on the airlines themselves, pointing out that the government could step in to require refunds, or mandate physical distancing on flights.
“The problem is not simply the airlines. The problem is the federal government,” he said.
“The federal government is abdicating its role as protecting the public health in this situation. The real problem I’m seeing is that the federal government is allowing this to happen.”
His advice? Don’t risk it.
“For this summer, it should be a staycation. You can have a wonderful vacation at home or perhaps in your own province.”
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
