Air Canada has apologized to a Prince Edward Island family after the airline bumped their 10-year-old son from a flight. That decision sent the family on a convoluted odyssey from Charlottetown to Moncton to Halifax to try to get seats for all of them. They finally got away the next day after a hotel stay in Halifax. It was March Break but Brett Doyle had booked the tickets in August. From his story, it seems clear Mr. Doyle and his family were given the same off-hand treatment which is common among airlines in 2017. And well before, in fact. But realists understand the airline industry’s business model is deeply flawed and there seems no easy way of fixing it. Open competition requires airlines to maximize the value of every expensive take off to the bottom line. It’s why planes are overbooked. More airlines offering deals may permit more people to fly but it also guarantees that some will be bounced. In this case, the airline has given the Doyles an apology, a $2,500 voucher, which expires in one year, and says it may cover family expenses.
