Air Canada Case Study in Alienating Passengers, Public

[The Bread Guy]

Oh my, it couldn't get very much worse - airline loses dying boy's wheelchair, promises new one but can't deliver, dying boy stuck in hotel during dream trip to NYC - this, from the Globe & Mail, with the usual disclaimer......

There is a common saying among fliers in this country that “Air Canada is not happy until you're not happy.” While we might chuckle at the phrase, the airline's reputation took a turn for the worse online Wednesday night when they let down a dying little boy.

The 8-year-old's name is Tanner. He is fighting muscular dystrophy. This week a group of people, including the boy's aunt and social media star Scott Stratten, organized a Tweet-a-Thon auction to help Tanner live out his final wishes. In just 30 hours the #TutusForTanner Twitter event helped to raise more than $25,000. Wednesday, Tanner travelled with his aunt, Catherine Connors, to New York to tour through Central Park on Friday with a team of tutu-wearing bloggers and friends (just one of his final wishes).

When they arrived at La Guardia airport they discovered that Tanner's wheelchair had been broken beyond repair. According to Connors (@herbadmother  on Twitter), the airline promised an immediate loaner for him (he is immobile without it) but when the travellers called the airline from the hotel Wednesday night they were told that Air Canada couldn't do anything about the chair until Monday.

Monday? As Catherine explains, Tanner was left stuck in a bed for hours in New York with no hope of getting back his $15,000 chair or a replacement. While Twitter friends spread the news about Air Canada's face palm, I'm reminded of another social media disaster. When United Airlines broke Dave Carroll's guitar the airline suffered months of embarrassment as web users shared the artist's creative ditty.

As of Thursday morning, there was still little hope for a new chair for Tanner. However, there were hundreds of tweets looking to get the boy a suitable replacement. Based on the messages, there were also clear signs the Twittersphere was determined to help Tanner find a way to see New York the way he deserves, despite Air Canada.

Have to agree with this comment:

Oh boy Air Canada, I would suggest you do something and fast. Just buy him a new $15,000 wheelchair because that'll be a drop in the bucket compared to the bad PR and public backlash you're going to get in about 15 minutes.

Follow the Twitter s***t-storm here.

 

[Thompson_JM]

Sweet Mother of god.......

What kind of Drunken Monkey Jackasses are running the show over at Air Canada?

Seriously? I'm amazed that the Major News Networks arent all over this one!

Not suprised though..... Why people continue to fly with those Idiots is beyond me... not when there are so many much better carriers out there....

 

[The Bread Guy]

Fair is fair - Air Canada fixed the chair and got it back to the kid in double-quick time:

A terminally ill boy whose specialized wheelchair was broken on an Air Canada flight from Toronto to New York has been given it back after the airline had it fixed.

Tanner Bawn, 10, his aunt and his mother arrived at La Guardia Airport on Wednesday and discovered the boy's $15,000 custom wheelchair in pieces. The boy, a native of Kamloops, B.C., suffers from Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy.

Shortly after 2 p.m. ET, Scott Stratten, a self-described viral and social marketing expert who is accompanying the family on the trip to New York, said Bawn's repaired wheelchair has been returned.

Bawn's family was planning to take part in a charity run called Tutus for Tanner in New York City on Friday.

The boy's aunt, Catherine Connors, who runs the parenting blog Her Bad Mother, tweeted about the incident Wednesday night after arriving at La Guardia airport.

Connors said the family was devastated and, without a proper wheelchair, the boy was confined to his hotel bedroom, unable to get around.

The story struck a nerve and was picked up by hundreds of people on Twitter who lambasted Air Canada for the incident.

Around 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Air Canada issued a response on Twitter to the issue: "We're sorry Tanner. We're working w/ yr family 2 make this up 2 you ASAP @herbadmother" ....

 

[ReneeClaude]

Hmmm, so the boys got two years older in between the two articles?

First article;
"The 8-year-old's name is Tanner."

Second artcle;
"Tanner Bawn, 10"

Unless it's a different Tanner 

 

[Rogo]

Sweet Mother of god.......

What kind of Drunken Monkey Jackasses are running the show over at Air Canada?

Seriously? I'm amazed that the Major News Networks arent all over this one!

Not suprised though..... Why people continue to fly with those Idiots is beyond me... not when there are so many much better carriers out there....

Was there a point to all this or did Air Canada lose your luggage?  Let's be honest, airlines are airlines and everyone will always hate on the biggest.  In Canada its Air Canada.  I'm sure this could have happened with any carrier.

 

[Scott]

To be fair, I hate on anyone who fucks up my plans. If it's Air Canada then they get the letter. If it's BMI then they do. And so on.

Or is this a case of people being bored and necroposting?

 

[Rogo]

looking at the dates I think it is a case of that

 

[Hurricane]

Hmmm, so the boys got two years older in between the two articles?

First article;
"The 8-year-old's name is Tanner."

Second artcle;
"Tanner Bawn, 10"

Unless it's a different Tanner 

Are you suprised that the Media makes errors because they don't double check?

On another note, it appears Air Canada did everything they could at the time of the incident.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick comments, “Regrettably Tanner's electric chair arrived in damaged condition at La Guardia airport, we are sorry about this and are investigating. Our manager at the airport immediately sent the broken chair, which is custom made, out for repairs. We also supplied a manual wheelchair and later in the evening an electric wheelchair for his use in the interim. Once we learned the replacement chair was inadequate we got in contact with the family to see what we could do for them. Because the chair is custom-made it is difficult to get it repaired or replaced quickly but we are doing all we can.”