Whether for business or pleasure, an entire trip can be upended instantly if the airline you’re flying with loses your luggage. However, no passenger expects to be sued for being a victim of bad service. Air Canada filed a lawsuit in late December against a passenger after the airline lost his luggage after a 2022 flight from Toronto to Vancouver. The suit was provoked by a Canadian Transportation Agency decision in which a government regulatory tribunal ordered the carrier to pay the passenger $1,460.
Alaa Tannous and his wife Nancy agreed with the CTA’s decision, but Air Canada couldn’t fathom how the agency reached its conclusion, according to the CBC. Canada’s flag carrier admitted to losing one of the couple’s suitcases but returned it the next morning. The couple claimed that they had left their hotel early and were aware that Air Canada dropped off the bag. The husband and wife assumed the luggage was gone after speaking with an Air Canada employee after the flight and bought replacement items for their trip.
Air Canada felt that the couple didn’t adequately justify their emergency expenses. The couple submitted $2,412 in receipts for compensation. The carrier only offered $175 in return, far short of the airline’s stated maximum of $1,685. Certain details of the couple’s story were unusual. Air Canada pointed out that Tannous bought a $920 monogrammed suitcase two days after the luggage was returned. He stated that the suitcase was used to bring the replacement items home. The CTA agreed with Tannous but didn’t include it in the agency’s awarded amount.
A disproportionate response from Air Canada
Air Canada is taking Tannous to court because of the way the CTA’s rules are structured. If either the airline or the passenger is dissatisfied with an agency’s decision, they can take the case to a federal court in Canada. However, the suit isn’t filed against the CTA for making the decision but against the opposite party. This was just one of four disputes taken to court in 2024. While this escalation is rare, it’s shocking for an airline to take a customer to court over a government decision.
Air Canada doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to good customer service. An airline AI chatbot incorrectly informed a customer that he could book a flight and demand a refund afterward in lieu of a bereavement fare. The Canadian government ordered Air Canada to issue a refund. Later that year, the airline had to fight claims that it was price-gouging wildfire evacuees fleeing Yellowknife. Air Canada really can’t help itself.
