Air Canada CEO admits it's been a rough summer, apologizes for disruptions
Air Canada CEO and President Michael Rousseau has sent out an extensive email to flyers admitting that there were disruptions in service this summer and apologizing for it.
On Thursday, thousands of Air Canada customers received the email titled “Letter from Mike.” It was later published on the Air Canada website as well.
In it, Rousseau discusses the customer service hurdles the airline has been experiencing and how it plans to overcome it, along with some data about what progress is looking like for the carrier.
Air Canada Provides Update on its Operational Improvement Initiatives: https://t.co/d7rw5WU1pC
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Air Canada fait le point sur ses initiatives d’amélioration opérationnelle : https://t.co/xHKL2EWMVo pic.twitter.com/RgTSY2M07A— Air Canada (@AirCanada) August 17, 2022
This is the second letter the CEO has sent to customers this summer. The first was sent in June, where he announced that some “meaningful reductions” were coming to Air Canada’s July and August schedule to ensure better customer service amid rising passenger traffic.
“Today, I am writing to update you on the progress we have made to date to return our airline to its pre-pandemic standards of customer service,” Rousseau wrote, thanking customers for their loyalty.
He added that every week of the summer, Air Canada’s traffic volumes increased and are now nearing 80% of the customers the airline served in the pre-pandemic summer of 2019.
Then, “in the spirit of transparency,” Rousseau shared some metrics that reflect improvements recorded between June 27 and August 14, during which 6.4 million travellers flew with the airline.
There was a 48% reduction in flights that were delayed for longer than an hour, and the wait time is only getting shorter. As of the week of August 8, delays averaged 12 minutes.
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Flight cancellations also saw a substantial dip.
“During the week of August 8, there was a 77% reduction in the number of cancelled flights as compared to the week of June 27,” Rousseau stated. “The vast majority of customers experiencing cancellations, often due to weather or other unexpected factors, were able to travel within 24 hours.”
Then he spoke about baggage handling, which has been a majorly problematic area for Air Canada travellers. Several travellers have shared horror stories about lost bags on social media. But now, according to the CEO, baggage handling has improved the most out of all fields.
“During the week of June 27, mishandling rates per 1,000 customers were approximately 2.5 times the same number in 2019. As of the week of August 8, this rate fully recovered to 2019 levels with a baggage handling success rate of 98%.”
Rousseau admitted that while the improvements are encouraging, Air Canada’s recovery remains a “work in progress” and that the airline still has a long way to go to resolve its issues.