Blame the weather, not us, Air Canada tells mayors

Bad weather, not poor customer service, caused travel delays and cancelled flights for Newfoundland and Labrador customers over the holidays, Air Canada has told provincial mayors.

Several mayors in the province have lambasted Air Canada for its recent service, with St. John's Mayor Andy Wells even calling for a public inquiry into the carrier's operations in the province.

As well, Conception Bay South Mayor Woodrow French has been lobbying for a passenger's bill of rights, akin to rules that protect European Union consumers.

But in a recent letter to Wells and French — as well as Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto, president of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador — Air Canada executive vice president Duncan Dee said the carrier has been doing its best under trying circumstances.

Noting "severe winter storms" elsewhere in Canada in the days leading up to and during the Christmas holidays, Dee wrote, "There are circumstances outside any airline's control which sometimes make this task more challenging."

In the Jan. 16 letter, Dee said foul weather conditions during Christmas led to payload restrictions, which in turn led to some customers having their baggage left behind. Dee said the airline has apologized to customers for any inconvenience.

"While it is clear that many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians faced more than their fair share of travel challenges over the same period, it should be recognized that severe winter weather conditions played no small part in disrupting their travel plans and that Air Canada acted as quickly as possible to restore service under very challenging circumstances," Dee wrote.

Perhaps addressing the mayors' concerns that Air Canada has been indifferent to consumer complaints, Dee wrote that the opposite is true.

"No other carrier has served Newfoundlanders and Labradorians more consistently and has more invested in your province than Air Canada," he wrote.

Air Canada sparked a furor among Newfoundland and Labrador politicians and business leaders when it cancelled a nonstop connection between St. John's and London, England. It resumed the service last summer to compete with the European charter carrier Astraeus, but discontinued it again in September.