http://www.aircanada.com
PO Box 64239,
5512 4th Street, NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2K 6J0
Head Office
Air Canada Centre
7373 Côte-Vertu Blvd. West
Dorval, Quebec H4Y 1H4
(888) 247-2262
(514) 393-3333
How to get through to an operator: press 1, 0, 0, 0, 0.
Overview
Air Canada’s customer service reputation is somewhere between “OK” and “fine,” according to passengers. There are few horror stories to report, and the ones [...]
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JetBlue’s customer service reputation trends toward the extremes. It’s either really good, with friendly flight attendants, superior onboard amenities, generous legroom and many other customer-friendly practices. Or it’s really bad (think passengers stranded on the tarmac during an ice storm or grandmothers being threatened with arrest for videotaping other passengers). More often than not, though, JetBlue does right. Hopefully you won’t have to use these names.
Hertz has a better-than-average reputation for customer service, although recent efforts to collect new fees from its drivers have made a dent in it. Still, the company does far better than many other car rental companies.
Frontier draws relatively few complaints, and the ones that come its way tend to get fixed fast. One major drawback: There doesn’t appear to be an obvious place on its Web site that accepts emails from customers, meaning that your only real choice is a phone call or a letter. That can sometimes be problematic.
AirTran has a fairly decent reputation for customer service, even for a discount airline that charges for almost everything (including seat reservations). Complaints tend to get resolved quickly, and to the customer’s satisfaction. And when it doesn’t? Here are a few helpful resources.
Hawaiian Airlines doesn’t get a lot of complaints compared with some of its competitors on the mainland. But when it does, they are typically serious in nature. Serious — and intractable — enough to merit their own entry on this site.
Spirit Airlines is one of the most complained-about airlines flying today. In an effort to be come what it calls an “ultra low cost” carrier, it has cut back or eliminated many of the customer service considerations that air travelers take for granted. Put differently, you should take nothing for granted when you fly Spirit.
Virgin America is the newest, and perhaps the most promising, airline startup in years. Its fares are low (for now, at least) and in-flight entertainment offerings are impressive, from onboard instant messaging to first-class seats that deliver massages.
Even though Princess is owned by Carnival Corporation, it deserves its own file because of the high volume of complaints that I receive about it. Those included (but aren’t limited to) service failures, problems with onboard amenities and boarding denials because of passport or visa issues.
Skybus is too new to have a reputation, but the early signs are not promising. It won’t allow customers to contact it by phone. It also has “rules” about flying, such as “Hungry? Thirsty? Bring cash,” and “Don’t be late. We won’t wait,” that seem indifferent at best and at worst, customer-hostile.
British Airways is the first foreign carrier to get its file, and for good reason. I’ve received an unusually large number of queries about lost luggage, delays in processing lost-luggage claims, and fees relating to overweight luggage. Most of the complaints involve frustrations with its automated system that processes consumer inquiries in North America.
Delta Air Lines used to have a less-than-stellar reputation for customer service. But thanks to a shift in management attitudes (and encouraged, perhaps, but its huge financial losses) Delta now seems much closer to “getting it.”
United Airlines has emerged from bankruptcy protection as a different airline. Smaller, more efficient – and when it comes to customer service, somewhat better.
Northwest Airlines does things strictly by the book. Which has its pros and cons (but mostly, cons). The upside: if Northwest doesn’t follow its own rules, you will probably get what you are asking for.
American Airlines is a solid, middle-of-the-road airline when it comes to customer service. Which is to say, there is no abundance of horror stories coming from American.
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