Air Canada Refused To Offload Bags Of Passengers Not Onboard Flight

A couple hoping to travel from British Columbia, Canada, to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, had their trip ruined due to a delayed flight followed by Air Canada's refusal to offload their bags to allow them to travel on the alternate itinerary. This meant that, while the pair of travelers never went to Mongolia, their bags did.

It started with a flight delay

As first highlighted by Global News, couple Paul Suter and Alyssa Yell had planned a horse trekking adventure in Mongolia in early September. It's unclear how the pair booked their tickets, but Air Canada noted that it was with another carrier - likely to be Turkish Airlines.

Nonetheless, the first leg of their three-flight trip was with Air Canada from Vancouver to Montreal. The plan would see them connect again in Istanbul before reaching their final destination, Ulaanbaatar.

Photo: GCMap.com

The troubles began when their first flight (to Montreal) was delayed. The couple told Global News that they had received a notification on their phone stating that this was due to "pilot scheduling issues." The delay would be particularly problematic for the travelers as they had to connect onwards to Istanbul - a connection that would not be made due to the delays. This would have a knock-on effect as the onward flight to Mongolia would also be missed, as would the beginning of their horse trekking adventure.

A new itinerary issued, but baggage withheld

With the help of an Air Canada agent, a recovery itinerary was created to allow Suter and Yell to arrive in Ulaanbaatar on time to start their trip. This new itinerary would see the travelers fly from Vancouver to Los Angeles, then onwards to Seoul, and then finally to Ulaanbaatar.

The Air Canada agent instructed the pair to retrieve their bags at the domestic baggage claim area of Vancouver International so that they could recheck them for their flight to Los Angeles. This is where the troubles escalated to the point of no return.

Photo: GCMap.com

The couple states that Air Canada employees at the baggage claim counter wouldn't remove their bags from the original flight bound for Montreal. Apparently, the refusal was due to the airline wanting to get the aircraft off the ground and onwards to Montreal.

As the four bags checked in by Suter and Yell contained essential camping equipment that could not otherwise be purchased in time, it would have been impossible to continue with the horse trekking trip - even if they had arrived in Ulaanbaatar on time. Thus, the pair decided to cancel their trip. "We know we can't replace the items that are flying across the country without us without a great deal of time and effort to put everything that we would need for this trip together," they said to Global News.

Some bags went to their final destination

Of the four checked bags, one remained in Vancouver, while the other three had a round-the-world trip to Mongolia and back. They arrived at the couple's home on Vancouver Island 24 days later, complete with tags and stickers indicating their luggage had flown to Mongolia.

Photo: Turkish Airlines

As for airfare compensation, Turkish Airlines refunded C$8,000, while Air Canada provided the following:

• C$800 (C$400 each) for the delayed flight
• A 25% one-time use coupon for future travel with the carrier.
• C$4,652.67 as compensation for missing luggage
• $2,000 in Air Canada vouchers for future travel.

While the total cost of their flights has not been disclosed, it was noted that they have yet to receive a full refund for their flights. An Air Canada spokesperson states the refund is taking longer as the itinerary was booked through another carrier.

Was there a safety violation?

Most of us travelers are accustomed to the procedure of bags being offloaded when their owner is not onboard the aircraft. Indeed, this tends to be the cabin announcement that causes the entire cabin to groan while ground crews frantically search for a bag.

This procedure is known in the industry as "Positive Passenger-Bag Matching" - or PPBM. Rather than being a customer-driven policy to ensure owners have their belongings, this is done as a safety precaution, particularly as it relates to terrorism.

Photo: wisely | Shutterstock

So, was Air Canada in violation of any safety procedures? Well, it's unclear. Air Canada told Global News that it was in compliance with all security measures with regard to the incident and the baggage. Meanwhile, the website CleverJourney notes that PPBM tends to be more strictly enforced for international flights, and protocol may differ from country to country regarding domestic services. At the same time, the website notes that, on occasion, baggage has been known to travel internationally, even without their owners onboard flights.

Key takeaways

Whether it's crew scheduling or inclement weather, airline delays are, sadly, an inevitable part of air travel. Thus, they should always be planned for - both on the airline side and the passengers'.

It's nice to know that an Air Canada agent swiftly rebooked the couple on an alternate itinerary, which would allow them to get to their destination in time. Assuming airline partners and carriers within the same alliance are the priority, we would have to guess that the couple would have been flown to Los Angeles with either Air Canada or United and onwards to Seoul and Ulaanbaatar with Asiana.

Photo: Air Canada

The refusal to offload bags is unfortunate and disappointing, but also understandable. With the airline not knowing (and also not needing to know) the couple's specific circumstances, they have to make a calculated decision whether to further delay the flight for the sake of two passengers' baggage. This would also come at the cost of delaying it for hundreds more onboard the aircraft. Though it depends on the busyness of ground staff and the size of the aircraft, offloading baggage could take another half hour to complete. Air Canada operates aircraft as small as the Airbus A220-300 between Vancouver and Montreal, but also aircraft as large as the Boeing 787-9, Airbus A330-300, and Boeing 777-300ER.

Not that the travelers did anything wrong, but the entire incident is an excellent reminder to allow for extra time when it comes to those extra-important events at the final destination (when possible, of course). Whether it's a wedding, business meeting, or horse trekking adventure, it would be wise to book a flight to arrive a day - or day and a half before the important event. This is especially true of multi-stop itineraries with flights that only operate once daily.

What do you think of this whole situation? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Sources: Global News, CleverJourney, FlightRadar24.com