My passion is playing tennis.
asserted
passion → play → tennis
And for more than 30 years, I’ve been playing every week with my friend Allen, now a retired school teacher.
asserted
I → play → friend
As tennis fans, we decided to attend the U.S. Open in New York over the Labour Day weekend.
asserted
we → decide → weekend
We bought our overpriced U.S. Open tickets and then plane tickets, separately, from Air Canada (for $652.23 a person).
asserted
We → buy → 652.23
When the first flight fell apart
Our flight was to depart Pearson Airport at noon on Thursday, Sept. 3, flying to LaGuardia Airport in New York.
asserted
flight → fall → York
Allen and I passed through security and customs uneventfully and were enjoying a coffee by the gate when — about an hour before boarding — we received a text saying our flight had been cancelled due to bad weather.
asserted
flight → pass → weather
A violent storm had ripped through Toronto the previous day.
asserted
storm → rip → Toronto
The fact that Air Canada waited so long to tell us our flight was in jeopardy was the first sign things were about to go sideways.
asserted
things → wait → jeopardy
He and his brother took an unexpected tour of western European airports in their quest to make it to Belgium for their cousin’s wedding.
asserted
He → take → wedding
He and his brother took an unexpected tour of western European airports in their quest to make it to Belgium for their cousin’s wedding.
asserted
He → take → wedding
What we didn’t know, is that once your flight is cancelled, Air Canada automatically rebooks you on another flight without consultation — often using an automated computer system.
asserted
Canada → know → system
In this case, since we had originally booked separately, the airline rebooked Allen and me on two different flights, airlines, and times leaving the following day, Friday.
asserted
airline → book → day
In my case, I was to fly into Newark, N.J., at 7 p.m. Friday on United Airlines.
asserted
I → fly → Airlines
This meant we were going to miss our first day at the U.S. Open, also on Friday.
asserted
we → mean → Friday
After waiting in line for 40 minutes at Air Canada’s customer service desk, staff told us the best they could do was put Allen on my 7 p.m. flight — which he agreed to.
uncertain
he → wait → which
We went home.
asserted
We → go → ?
Allen then spent three hours waiting on Air Canada’s customer service phone line to speak to someone.
asserted
Allen → spend → someone
When he finally did, he managed to book us both on an Air Canada flight leaving Friday at 2:15 p.m.
asserted
he → do → p.m.
A second cancellation compounds the problem
Friday morning, we went back to Pearson.
asserted
we → compound → Pearson
And just as we were clearing security and heading to customs, I received a text from Air Canada saying our flight had been cancelled — again.
asserted
flight → clear → Canada
We lined up at the Air Canada customer service desk.
asserted
We → line → desk
In the meantime, Allen received a message saying he’d been rebooked on an American Airlines flight that was about to leave soon and would take him to Washington before going on to New York.
asserted
that → receive → York
I’d received no notification.
asserted
I → receive → notification
When we finally spoke to an Air Canada staffer, I was told I’d been booked on a flight to New York with American Airlines that would be leaving at 10:30 p.m. Friday.
asserted
that → speak → p.m.
In the meantime, I received an email saying that, instead, I was going to be flying American Airlines to Washington, D.C. — but not on to New York, with my flight now leaving at 3:35 p.m. Friday.
asserted
flight → receive → p.m.
We left Terminal 1 and took the shuttle to Terminal 3 to track down someone who worked for American Airlines.
asserted
who → leave → Airlines
Once there, I was told there was no American Airlines flight at 10:30 p.m., as I’d been originally told, and that my trip to Washington, D.C., would not fly me on to New York.
asserted
trip → tell → York
By then, Allen had had enough and decided not to go.
asserted
Allen → have → enough
We both went home.
asserted
We → go → ?
Because I had other business to conduct in the U.S., however, I decided to see if I could fly to New York Saturday morning.
uncertain
I → have → York
On Friday at about 4:30 p.m. I bought a completely separate ticket on a United Airlines flight for $643.19 that left at 7:25 a.m.
asserted
that → buy → a.m.
Then, nearly two hours later at about 6 p.m., I received an email from American Airlines saying that the 3:35 p.m. Friday flight I was originally rebooked on to Washington would now also take me to New York, but by then it was too late — that flight to Washington had long since departed Toronto.
asserted
flight → receive → Toronto
However, I’d missed one day at the Open, was now travelling alone and was out of pocket about $1,500.
asserted
I → miss → pocket
When I got back to Toronto, I called Air Canada’s customer service line and eventually spoke to someone.
asserted
I → get → someone
I wanted to be reimbursed for the cost of my United Airlines ticket and half of my original Air Canada ticket.
asserted
I → want → ticket
The representative at the other end of the line was not sympathetic, claiming my American Airlines flights to New York on Friday had been feasible.
asserted
flights → claim → Friday
She finally directed me to an Air Canada website where I could ask for a refund but not explain why I was owed one.
uncertain
I → direct → one
It immediately rejected my request.
asserted
It → reject → request
Airline says crew made the decision to avoid further disruption, but Melissa Colalillo says she
When I reached out to Air Canada’s media spokesperson, Sean Davidson, he gave me a statement saying, that while the airline recognized “this was a frustrating series of disruptions” for me, “our records show that Mr. Livesey was … rebooked with American Airlines to LaGuardia, connecting through Washington, D.C.
asserted
Livesey → say → Washington
Both the flight to Washington and the connecting flight to LaGuardia departed.”
asserted
flight → connect → LaGuardia
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
