Air Canada has temporarily walked back its decision to charge a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares.
Under the old policy, customers with fares that didn’t offer free seat selection prior to check-in would be randomly assigned a seat at the time of check-in, with the option to change that seat to another available seat for free.
However, some Air Canada customers received notices earlier this month stating the airline would soon charge passengers with standard or basic fares to change their automatically assigned seats during check-in.
A Facebook account belonging to Ontario-based travel agent Kerry Berlinquette shared an image of a notice she received on April 18.
“We’re introducing a new seating assignment process for Standard or Basic Fares,” the notice reads.
“When customers enter the check-in flow, our system will automatically assign a seat free of charge for those who have not purchased a seat in advance … If they wish to change their automatically assigned seat, they can easily do so for a fee.”
The notice, which stated the change would take effect April 24, triggered a wave of complaints by angry consumers on Facebook, X and Reddit.
So Air Canada can now split your party at their discretion to force you to spend money to ensure your party sits together. (Previously it was a safe gamble at 24 hours you could find seats together) pic.twitter.com/rTvxfVqqGy
“That stinks. It was bad enough you had to fight for a seat 24 hours before flight. Just another money grabber,” one Facebook user wrote in a comment on Berlinquette’s post.
“It’s frustrating when traditional airlines behave like budget airlines,” a Reddit user wrote on April 24. “They have eliminated free checked baggage and now they have also removed the option of selecting seats for free during check-in. What will be next?”
I don’t know why everyone is mad at @AirCanada for introducing another junk fee. They have been trending towards the bottom end of the discount airline market since their last bailout. Their service, food, on time rating, cleanliness, and generally quality is horrible.
Following some of the backlash, Air Canada issued a statement to airline industry news website Pax News clarifying the policy change.
“What has changed, and is consistent with our branded fares, is that after seats are assigned at check-in for no fee, customers who now wish to change to a different seat from the one we assigned them will have to pay the same fee they would have paid prior to check-in,” the airline wrote to Pax News, which reported the airline would continue to assign seats to ensure families on the same booking are seated together for no fee, as per Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations.
“This is the practice at other airlines, including some in Canada.”
However, by April 26, Air Canada had paused the new fee. The flag carrier would not confirm whether consumer backlash had influenced the decision and declined to answer questions by CTVNews.ca about why it had introduced the fee and how long the pause would last.
“We paused the implementation for operational reasons to ensure a smooth rollout for our customers and employees,” a spokesperson, who did not provide a name, wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Monday.
“We will communicate next steps at the appropriate time.”
Air Canada would not be the first Canadian carrier to charge a fee for seat selection after check-in. However, the airlines that charge a seat selection fee, such as Flair and Porter, tend to be low-cost carriers that offer more affordable base fares than Canada’s flag carrier.
One exception is WestJet, Canada’s second largest carrier after Air Canada, which also charges a fee for seat selection.
MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson is warning that public services are becoming “dehumanized” in the province amid a rise in demand for them.
Marc-André Dowd released his annual report today, which highlights several examples of people receiving inadequate care across the health network in the 12 months leading to March 31.
One dying man who lived alone was denied help cleaning his cat’s litter box by his local health clinic, a service Dowd says should have been given for “humanitarian reasons.”
Dowd also describes staff at a long-term care home feeding residents “mechanically” and talking among each other — despite health ministry guidelines directing staff to maintain eye contact with residents.
The ombudsperson says his office received a record number of problems to investigate across the province’s public services — 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year.
He says his office investigated 13,358 cases between April 2023 and March of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Canada next week after a planned trip in July was cancelled amid political turmoil in France.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a statement today that Macron will be in Canada Wednesday and Thursday after the leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Trudeau will welcome Macron in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they are expected to discuss collaboration on geopolitical issues including their ongoing support for Ukraine.
They are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen the response to emerging threats, such as disinformation.
In Montreal, Trudeau intends to show off the city’s artificial intelligence sector, while both countries reaffirm their commitment to work with counterparts on responsible use of AI.
The leaders will also discuss promoting the French language ahead of the Francophonie summit being held in France next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
