AT LAST Passengers finally reach Toronto

Posted on 07/25/2016 | About Toronto, Ontario

An Air Canada rouge flight that saw passengers stranded in Manchester, England, for two days landed in Toronto on Sunday afternoon. The flight to Toronto was scheduled to leave Manchester on Friday, but over 200 passengers had to wait until Sunday before taking off.

An Air Canada spokesperson called it an “unfortunate situation” caused by mechanical problems and crew duty restrictions.
The flight was widely and repeatedly reported as being Air Canada, however, Wallace Immen, recently returned from an Air Canada rouge flight, told Travel Industry Today that the, “One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned in the stories about the horrid 48-hour delay of the Manchester flight this weekend is that it was operated by Air Canada Rouge. (Global News did identify the flight as being rouge but most stories mentioned only Air Canada). You won’t find that on Air Canada’s website until you get to the small type."
Didn't meet standards 1
Immen maintains, “They’re running ancient planes that have questionable maintenance and their crews are a separate staff not interchangeable with those of AC.”
He says the airline is expanding routes so quickly they don’t have sufficient equipment or crews. “These are no doubt factors behind the delay.
“Case in point on our recent flight to Barcelona. The travel agent told us it was an Air Canada flight.
“It was only after we were ticketed that we found out it was 'operated by Air Canada Rouge.'”
Says Immen, “While we did take off after only a slight delay from Pearson, the plane was in wretched condition. The unpadded seats were, of course, squeezed so much I couldn’t sit comfortably face on to the seat ahead of me—for 7 and a half hours. And for some reason, there was a large metal structure (even though there is no entertainment system) and a frame under the seat so carry-on or feet couldn’t easily slide underneath it.
“But my main concern was the crack in the glass of the window in the row ahead of us. I’m not sure if air safety regulations even allow flying trans-Atlantic with a broken window, but obviously they decided it didn’t need immediate repair.
Deciding to use the lavatory, I found that the sink had been taped over with cardboard and duct tape and the fan wasn’t working. To their credit, a basket of wet naps had been provided for sanitation. Who needs maintenance?
“In short, while we got to BCN in time to catch our cruise, I’ll be asking more questions next time I book Air Canada to Europe—especially to Manchester.”
Didn't meet standards 2
Isabelle Arthur said in an email to The Canadian Press that the airline wanted to “apologize for the extended delay.”
Arthur said the situation didn't meet Air Canada's standards and “we are sorry we've let our customers down.”
Canada's largest airline was taking heat from the stranded passengers over the weekend.
One person tweeted “horrendous experience. Stuck in Manchester for 2 days and no one has been in contact to tell us what's going on.”
Another tweet to Air Canada said “A second night in Manchester ... due to more flight delays. AirCanada this is not how to treat your passengers.”
Manchester residents Melanie Best and her husband had booked the flight with plans to attend a wedding celebration in Toronto.
Stressed and angry
In an email to The Canadian Press late Saturday night, a frustrated Best described their long and trying ordeal.
She said they boarded the plane Friday after a two-hour delay, then sat on the tarmac for the next five hours while mechanics tried unsuccessfully to fix a hydraulic pump. After the flight was finally cancelled the passengers were put up in a hotel and instructed to return to the airport the following day.
However, after checking in again Saturday morning, Best said repeated delays kept passengers stuck in the airport lounge until the early evening.
“Come 6 p.m. passengers were getting really stressed and angry and all gathering by customer information demanding more information,” she said.
According to Best, the passengers were told that the plane had finally been repaired and would be leaving at 8 p.m.
But after departure time came and went, the passengers were then informed the flight had once again - this time due to flight crew issues - been cancelled, and rescheduled for Sunday around noon.
“At this point people were crying and disgusted beyond belief,” she said.
Of his experience Immen said, “fares on Rouge aren’t all that cheap and I’d much rather pay up to fly on a plane with more comfort and an entertainment system on an eight hour flight.”