Writing a log on my white hat experiences reminds me of the TV series Border Security, not so much about the security aspect, but more about the different characters that come through the airport. There is usually something to write about after each day of volunteering.
Persistence Pays
A traveling American couple had booked their returning flight to Raleigh, North Carolina through Delta. Delta, like other airlines, has this image that they will get you anywhere you want and that probably is the case for most of the USA, but we are in Canada. The couple learned offsite that the first leg of their journey to Atlanta was operated by Westjet and they needed to check in with Westjet online. Some travelers do not know they always need to check in with the airline that’s operating the flight. Delta does not help much here as they may not inform the traveler even in fine print. Delta operates most of their flights in the US and adopting standard procedures everywhere does not necessarily work that well from Calgary as this city is more the exception versus the norm. Their failure to inform is usually when travelers have booked their flight through a third party.
Our couple completed the check in process online with a message that they needed to see an agent and therefore they were unable to obtain their boarding passes. This is because no boarding passes for Delta customers flying on a Westjet flight will be issued without passport validation at the airport, but the travelers do not know this, or at least do not know this is the only issue. Beyond passport validation, the question is whether they are officially checked in. Travelers are unsure of success as the system did say they must see an agent and so they usually follow instructions and stand in line for check in assistance. The couple here also had two bags to check which they specified during the check in process.
They come to the airport three hours before departure and therefore were informed, unlike some who are not aware what Westjet’s policy is for international flights. A lot of American tourists just let Delta take care of them, but Delta does not give the traveler a heads up to come to the airport three hours before departure, which is not needed with other airlines and probably not at other airports. You can see the problems all this can create if the traveler remains naïve, or just simply misinformed. This American couple were a lot further ahead than most since they researched and read all details thoroughly, they had previous experience with Westjet, and they made good use of the internet to complete the check in process as much as they could.
Upon arrival, the couple saw the lineup for check in assistance was a mile long. They just wanted to get to the “other side” (post security and customs) so they could relax, have a nice breakfast, and review the lovely time they had around Alberta for what had not burned down yet due to forest fires. I go over to see if I can help since they were hesitant in joining the long line, with kiosks close at hand. Their thoughts were that surely there was a better option, as the whole idea about using the internet was to make the airport process more efficient.
Most people get frustrated and just give up with the whole process, but this couple was more tech savvy and determined. Even though white hatters are to encourage travelers to use the kiosk to print off their bag tags, I have seen white hatters when on vacation go in line themselves for check in assistance! That tells me a lot about the process. I explained to the couple that if they needed to see an agent, this was probably just for passport validation. They could try to print off their boarding passes using their six-digit travel itinerary code and the kiosk should ask for them to scan their passports. As it is a two-step process, they could then scan their boarding passes to get their luggage tags. It was worth a try for the amount of time it took and the failover was to go back in line.
No Westjet agent was available to assist as they were busy elsewhere. I got them started and when they entered their travel itinerary code and selected the option to print both boarding passes, the kiosk only printed off the wife’s boarding pass and announced that the husband needed to see an agent. What for? Why only one? This was rather bizarre. So, I suggested that she could at least scan her boarding pass to get her luggage tagged and then the husband would have to go back and stand in line while she went through security and found a comfy spot to sit after she had purchased her latte. She liked that idea, but not so much did he!
Still no Westjet agent available. She scanned her boarding pass once she learned where to do this, and the kiosk asked if she wanted luggage tickets for “both parties”; she selected “yes”. It then asked for a scan of both passports, which was done at a different spot on the kiosk, and sure enough, it printed off luggage tickets for both husband and wife, but the husband still did not have his boarding pass! No wonder people just give up working with the system to get around any program bugs! However, they were so close to having made it through the process. I suggested they go back in again to print off boarding passes using the travel code as if this was never done before, and sure enough the remaining boarding pass printed off! I concluded that either a systems analyst did not communicate effectively what the program needed to do, or a programmer did not properly test what was delivered to cover this situation.
I talked to the Westjet supervisor overseeing operations about my experience. As a volunteer, I am not supposed to assist travelers with the kiosk process, since this is what Westjet staff are to do, but any supervisor gladly allows me to if I have time from my normal duties and there is no Westjet personnel available. Westjet really gets stretched during busy times and they will take any help they can get. If I cannot find any staff, I definitely do not want to leave the travelers stranded to fend for themselves and try to use a kiosk that can be quite foreign and confusing! What I will do though is get them started with its prompts, such as getting into a menu option and then I perform other duties such as greeting tourists coming through the door. If I glance back and see they are getting nowhere, I go back and help them with the next step. Therefore, in this case, I left them four times, only to come back to help them again.
The supervisor advised me that when the travelers know they have checked in online with Westjet, but are having problems with the kiosk, I should take them to the counter for “baggage assistance”. There is usually a lineup, but only a few passengers for quicker turnaround of service. However, based on experience, this procedure is subject to change without notice, as it depends on the mix of Westjet personnel on each shift and how they wish to operate. Any agent should be able to print off any remaining luggage tickets or boarding passes that the kiosk failed to deliver (first time). If travelers thought they were checked in, when in fact they have not, then they could be wasting their time going to “baggage assistance”, since they needed “check in assistance”. With our couple giving the kiosk a try, they found out they were indeed checked in.
Runaround Blues
A French couple with a cart loaded with big luggage was looking for Air France to start their journey home. Their English was not the best, but when asked, they said they were going to Montreal first and then to Amsterdam. Amsterdam with Air France and not KLM? That sounded strange, but with the first leg of their flight being to Montreal, I told them that they would not find Air France at this airport, and that their flight must be operated by Westjet, since they are affiliated with Air France. Westjet sounded familiar to them and that was probably the airline they were supposed to be leaving Calgary with. I advised that they needed to go to Door 2 where Westjet Domestic was located at the other end of the airport. They were at Door 16 in the International, about a ten minute walk when not crowded.
Apparently, they came from Door 2 as Westjet had advised them to come to the International Terminal. Huh? Why would they do that? They said they were flying Air France and so Westjet must not have understood. I explained that if they were indeed flying to Montreal, then that is a domestic flight and if they have not checked in with Westjet, then they need to do so. Their luggage should be checked all the way to their final destination. The husband understood, but the wife was unsure what I was saying was true and she had a very worried and confused look on her face, not knowing who to trust. Their paperwork was not the best, but it did say Westjet to Montreal and I did notice a couple of flights to Montreal on the board for both Air Canada and Westjet, but not at the time they were supposed to be flying. I told them it is best to speak to a Westjet agent in the International just to ease their mind, but I was quite sure they needed to go back to Door 2. After their talk with a Westjet agent, they started their journey back to Door 2.
About 30 minutes later, the couple was back in the International and walking back to the Westjet counter! What is going on here?! I gave the Westjet supervisor a heads up that this couple originally looking for Air France had made three trips back and forth from Domestic to International to Domestic, and now back to International and they will not be pleased if they have to go back to Domestic again! They had a serious problem! Fortunately, she took pity and got an experienced Westjet agent at the counter to work with them to try to figure out what was going on. I could not stay to listen as other travelers needed help, but I kept close by.
I overheard that they recalled their flight was booked through KLM, not Air France, but Air France was operating the flight from Montreal to Amsterdam and they needed to get to Montreal. KLM had notified them online that there had been a flight change for getting to Montreal, but when Westjet pulled up their itinerary to show the flight details, the screen was blank, with no mention of a flight to Montreal. Westjet told them they cannot go to Montreal if they are not on any flight unless they pay and book online! You can imagine the amount of explaining that needed to be done to convince the couple who did not trust anybody, especially an airline they were not familiar with, that this was a problem of KLM, not Westjet! This took quite a long time!
After Westjet explaining their case over and over and they finally agreeing to speak to a KLM agent, another delay was going to occur since their counter was not open yet. I have seen this so many times where foreigners book their travel using an airline they are familiar with versus an airline with a dominant steady presence in Calgary readily available to assist. I came over and escorted them to where their counter will be once they open in 45 minutes. I told them that KLM has a direct flight to Amsterdam at 3:15 PM and hopefully they will be put on that flight so they do not have to go through Montreal. This gave them hope that their ordeal would be over soon, but being summer, that KLM flight could very well be full, and that is probably why they were rerouted through Montreal. Fortunately, we came across a KLM agent who was inspecting the counter for supplies and probably was the supervisor for the afternoon flight. He said sorry, but KLM is not open yet and they will have to wait until 11:15 AM to see an agent. I spoke up and said “Yeah, but they have one humdinger of a booking problem and they could really use your help to fix sooner vs. later!” He took my comments seriously and gave the couple the attention they needed right away. They finally were talking to the right person who could help them get on a flight, even if it meant a further delay in getting home. This was indeed a problem of KLM, but why do travelers not give enough attention to flight details beforehand and try to check in online?!
Goof Ball
I came up to a young lady who was standing off by herself in Domestic towards the end of my shift looking a bit forlorn. She melted when she saw me and brought on a warm smile, as she knew who I was, a white hatter, who only wanted to be nice and helpful. Because she was not going anywhere, I chose to greet her.
"Good morning! Can I help you?" My standard line.
"Oh, no, not really, thanks," she said sheepishly. "I forgot my Identification at home and so my father had to run back to the house and get it!" She definitely looked quite embarrassed and she then explained the need to get on the plane, as she was to become a teacher and her course was starting tomorrow.
"Where are you flying to?"
"Toronto."
"When is your flight?"
She looked at her boarding pass and said: "Boarding at 10:45, leaving at 11:15"
"Did you check your bag?"
"Yes.”
“Good call.”
“Yeah, I should be okay as I have time before boarding starts and my father should be back shortly." Despite her goof, she had her act together and knew what she was doing. She then corrected me that she was not a teacher yet, but rather in her fourth year at the University of Toronto. She did look young enough to be a student.
"Well then, you will be a teacher next year."
"Maybe, don't know yet. I have not quite decided what I want to do. I may get my masters degree first, or even become a lawyer, or get my PHD and become a professor!"
Such a young person telling me her story, but definitely she showed a lot of potential. I chose to give her a little message before moving on: "They say that it is those who are the most absent minded are the most intelligent. I can tell you will be most successful and will have a very bright future ahead of you.”
"Well, thank you," she said laughingly with a big warm beaming smile of gratitude.
"Being so smart, you should definitely continue on with your idea of post secondary education once you graduate, such as getting your PHD and becoming a professor." The expression on her face told me she needed to hear that from an elder who believed in her and she was so grateful for my words of encouragement.
The silly goof, forgetting her ID! I bet her father was ticked off! Now that is something my son would do!
Closed Mind
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Canada, do as the Canadians do and know the metric system. Most countries use kilometers and kilograms and so don’t ignore the whole world and get on board and learn something new. This is one area that really irks me to no end when travelers do not try to learn what a kilogram is and the maximum allowable weight for luggage to be checked in. They only have to remember one number in kilograms: 23.
A couple whose nationality you can probably guess used a weigh scale to measure the weight of their luggage. They came over to say that one case weighed 2.9 and the other 1.8. I knew this was not even close and I suggested you must mean 29 and 18, because both cases were quite large. Yes, they said, this is what they weighed. They asked me if this was okay as to weight? I told them that a bag cannot weigh more than 23 kg without paying extra. Oh, really was their response. I chose to go back to the weigh scale with them to recheck the weight of each since the one weighing 29 did not seem to be much heavier than the one weighing 18.
I placed the “heavy one” on the scale and it came back with a weight of 20.1 kg. I placed the second bag on and it came up with a weight of 19.1 kg. I told them the weight of each bag was under the limit and they were okay to check in. They thanked me for my service as they do not do kilograms and then they went into check in assistance for Westjet since they do not do online either.
The problem I have with some people is that they did not even “try” to report the right number to me when they saw the scale was reporting kilograms. They could have very easily reported the right weight if they only looked at the number showing on the scale. They even agreed that the weight of their luggage was 29 and 18 when it was nothing of the sort! Why is their mind so closed off?! This has little to do with stupidity and everything to do with being ignorant and stubborn. Hopefully they never rented a car in Canada because how could they possibly know how fast to go?
They will not remember that it is 23 kg. the next time because they do not want to. They are not open to change. Are they happy? I have no idea, but I think not. It is their mind that determines their level of happiness and they are not using it. The only way to move forward to experience reality is to take the next step. They refuse to live in “our world” and therefore did not really experience it while here and they just wished to remain in their comfort zone, as the only way is their way and the rest of the world is wrong.
Came From
Let’s face it. Most Canadians do not know what it is like to live in a third world country. Most immigrants cannot necessarily live the way established citizens do because they are not as financially secure, and they have connections to their homeland. These connections mean they need to deal with their parents, fly them to Canada for a visit, fly them home, fly to where they came from themselves to visit their friends and family and deal with matters.
I always wondered why immigrants or foreigners insist they wrap their luggage in saran wrap. Is it because they want their luggage to be water proof? The luggage is often already wrapped upon arrival to the airport, while Canadians with little or no foreign connection will not ever wrap their bag. If they find out that the bag is overweight, they have to unwrap the bag, reduce the weight, and then take time to wrap the luggage back up again! If they are trying to discourage security inspectors from snooping inside their bag, the first bag I would look at as a customs official is the one wrapped in saran wrap. Whenever I commented about the wrap, the traveler’s English was not the best and I could never get a proper answer as to why. To me, seems like a complete waste of time, unless the bag’s zipper is broken, but they have big plastic bags at the counter to encase the luggage instead.
Along comes a warm, friendly lady of Muslim faith and we hit it off. She could speak perfect English and she was heading off from where she came. She was having trouble with the weigh scale as it was showing pounds and she did not know what the maximum allowable weight was. I said it was 50 pounds and she came in at 48.4 and therefore good to go. It amazes me how they can get their bag so heavy. When loading up my suitcase, even with a very large jar of peanut butter for my son, I never have been over 40 pounds. I left her to use a kiosk to get her baggage tag.
When I checked on her later, sure enough she was wrapping her bag with saran wrap and packing tape. Okay, what is going on here? I cautioned her that what she was doing was not going to stop customs from inspecting luggage if that is what they chose to do. I finally got the answer I was looking for. She said: “Oh, no, no, it is not for that, but rather to prevent people from trying to unzip my bag to steal clothing, or whatever else they can pull out.” I know there is theft in Canada, but Canadians do not usually steal stuff out of luggage if the traveler happens to be looking the other way.
When parents come to Canada to visit their children, often the mother more so than the father cannot walk very well, even if younger than me. We are so lucky and fortunate to be living in Canada regardless of what we think of our politics. This means they need wheelchair assistance. Sometimes they can hobble and walk slowly to the counter of the airline before requesting assistance, but at other times they get out of the car and make it as far as the entrance of the International to cause the children to search and request wheelchair assistance.
Getting parents started on their journey home can be quite challenging for an only child, a working adult. One lady came over with a wheel chair and asked me if she could leave her van outside while she wheeled her mother in to get to the security gate and on her way home. I said “no,” as the tow trucks have a mandate to keep the lanes clear and they like the business. I told her she has to be very quick and at her own risk. I follow her outside and she opens the door for her mother to come out, who crosses over to get into her wheelchair, and has her carry-on bag with her. Normally a parent visiting a working immigrant has some bigger luggage to check, but not her. She also has her boarding pass and so I volunteered to stay by the van while the daughter deals with her inside since the whole process should not take as long. But I told the daughter that I could not guarantee that the van stays where it is and I mentioned to her several times to get the job done as quickly as possible. She asked if she should leave the van running, but I let her make that decision. She chose to shut it off with the flashers remaining on.
I waited and I waited and I waited and I am sure the security cameras saw a white hatter guarding this van and maybe chose to not rush the process of getting the vehicle towed. I eventually gave up waiting and went back inside, but could not find the couple. I went back outside a couple of times to make sure the van was still there, but at least this way I got to greet some other travelers inside and give them assistance. The daughter finally did come back and thanked me for my help. She was lucky as the whole process took at least fifteen minutes and that is all that it takes to get your vehicle towed. The fine is very expensive for retrieving the vehicle. But what could she had possibly done differently? Maybe there was no other relative or friend available to help out with the process. I suppose she could have parked the van in the parkade, but time was of the essence and she needed to get back to work. She lives her life in stress when her parents come for a visit.
Not likely an established Canadian would choose to fly to Nairobi, Kenya with four stopovers enroute. But for an immigrant financially strapped needing to go back to deal with matters, sometimes they need to find the cheapest way to get there, even if the trip takes 48 hours, if not longer, versus 30. Such was the case for a former Kenyan who had that look of worry and desperation on her face. She was standing in line for United Airlines. I came over as she wanted my assistance. Her English was not the best, but I do speak very clearly and slowly out of habit to some people and this gives my client a chance to decipher what I am saying.
She showed me her itinerary document for the trip she booked using Kenya Air. This airline naturally does not fly from Calgary and therefore I knew she was going to be using two or three different airlines to get her home. She had no idea where she was going on the first leg of her flight since this detail was almost nonexistent. Studying the document, it did say Air Canada with a flight number, but it gave no city name and the flight number did not show on the screen. I thought maybe she needed to fly to Toronto or Montreal for the first leg, but then I saw off to the side the letters “ORD”, which meant “Chicago”.
As her final destination was international, she looked for the Air Canada counter, but there was no agent there and therefore she crossed the floor to get into the lineup for United, hoping they could help. After explaining that the “ORD” stands for Chicago, I said Air Canada does not fly there, but rather United as their Star Alliance partner does. I asked when her flight was supposed to leave and she said 12:30 which was exactly the time that United was departing for their flight to Chicago. I gave her assurance with my analysis that she was indeed in the right lineup. She gave a huge sigh of relief of gratitude and thanked me for my assistance.
When she gets to Chicago, I hope she can figure out where the next leg of her flight takes her and what airline. I did not see any indication of such on the itinerary. Kenya Air is so far removed from North America and they are not going to know much of anything about flights leaving from Calgary, other than what comes up on their screens from where the reservation was made. They obviously thought that Air Canada flies to Chicago. I have never seen an itinerary missing so much detail. Every traveler should try to figure out their journey before getting to the airport. Hopefully she got some good information from the agent for United Airlines before going through security.
The Traveler
It does me good to gain experience as a traveler to see what it is like experiencing “the other side”. When checking in for our flight to Heathrow, even I, with all my knowledge, flubbed it up! I chose to enter my passport details manually, because I was using a desktop and not my cell phone with a built-in camera to take an image of my passport page. I forgot that it was actually easier to check in with my cell as opposed to desktop. As I had entered my details manually, I realized the system was going to force me to validate my passport at the airport. I tried going back to redo this step, but the app would not allow me to. I was done!
For my wife, the program gave me no option to enter passport details manually, which was rather strange. No logic behind this as for the program’s behaviour. I had to upload an image to complete the check in process. I realized when forced to that I could take a picture of the passport page with my cell and email it to me. I then read the email from my desktop, downloaded the image, and uploaded it into the check in process. The app miraculously filled in all fields afterwards after reading the picture. The app finally gave me my boarding passes with the condition that I needed to validate my passport at the airport. You only have one chance with life and if you break the chain of program logic you are condemned a sinner and sentenced to hell at the airport. Okay, so I dramatized this a bit!
Once I had my boarding passes, I hit the "complete check in" button. Because I did not do things perfectly correct, the app just got hung up and eventually timed out after ten minutes or so, not knowing what to do with my failure for following the steps perfectly. The app did not confirm the check in process completed successfully. But I had our boarding passes which is a good sign. No wonder people say they "think" they are checked in, as I get that answer a lot when I ask. When I tried to check in again and hopefully upload my passport image, the app thought I was crazy, as I was already checked in when they did not tell me before. Being labelled a sinner, it reminded me again that I needed to show my passport at the airport, whereas my wife was a perfect angel in every way, and she did not have to do anything!
Cancun
We decided to fly to Cancun, Mexico for Christmas with family and I had not been there for 22 years! There has been a lot of changes to the airport and real estate development in that period of time. With four terminals, you would think we were in Heathrow! Seems to me there was only one terminal last time! So crowded now!
We tried to upgrade to business class from Calgary, but were too late. Not much problem traveling economy on the way there, although some got hungry. Once we arrived in Cancun, I witnessed once through customs those with priority received their luggage in about five minutes, whereas it took up to an hour and a half for those in economy class! Lesson learned is upgrade your seats, or just bring carry on luggage.
On the way home, our son surprised us by upgrading our seats to business class. The cost was something like $220 per ticket, not the $2000+ price tag if you upgrade to go to Heathrow! It's the same Dreamliner designed airplane for both flights, the Boeing 787-9. If you find the cost to book a premium seat up front is too costly, explore this option later when Westjet sends you an email reminding you of your flight and to start getting ready. Sometimes you can put in a bid such as $100 if the seats have not been taken and you might get lucky!
The first advantage going first class from Cancun is that it saved us 45 minutes going to priority check in assistance as opposed to regular! You will get this same experience in Calgary. What was not that great was when we chose to access a business lounge post security, since we had lots of spare time waiting for the flight to board. In Terminal 4, there are two lounges that Westjet premium travelers can access. We had to go on a waiting list for the first lounge for 35 minutes as it was too full! This has never happened before at other airports based on my experience with Westjet’s Silver Status. Only in Cancun. The second lounge did allow us in, but there were no seats available anywhere! The place was as crowded inside the lounge as outside, but we did have access to food and drink and we eventually grabbed a table that was just vacated.
The next advantage was experiencing the luxury of sitting in business class on the plane! This ended up being a big deal and it could spoil me to want to go business class if the price is right! For me, the price tag was well worth it, as it was really nice experiencing luxury travel. The meal was the best I have ever had on a plane, so tasty, and I ate it all! Then there were drinks and snacks galore if you were so inclined. It took awhile to find everything in our cubicle for what I thought was available, and sure enough, it was. Pure luxury travel at its finest! The seat reclined really well so that you could get a good sleep. But only traveling 5.5 hours during the daytime, I chose to watch a couple of movies using the headphones provided. I thought I was in a spaceship as it was so ergonomically modern. Watching a science fiction movie helped with this.
A few more notes from this trip. I did a good job checking in both ways online with no mistakes, taking four pictures of passport pages with my cell phone beforehand to have ready for uploading, one being a British passport. The system found the information right away to complete this section flawlessly. Note you do not need to "scan" your passport page, as you can just take a picture.
As an option, you can have the system email you all boarding passes of your group. I selected this option, but nothing happened even though I had successfully checked in, as no email was received. To get your boarding passes, you have to go back in to the check in process a second time. The system will say you are already checked in (duh). Finding and clicking on the email boarding pass button gets you the boarding passes by email within five seconds!
Finally, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the kiosks used by Westjet in Cancun and other airlines have the boarding pass scanner on the front of the box as in Calgary International, not like the archaic (?) Calgary Domestic. However, there was absolutely no indication of where to complete the scan, even less so than in Calgary. My son, who lives in the UK, tried to scan his boarding pass on top like most travelers do. I came along behind him with my cell to get the job done. Just be aware of the different locations.
Learning Life’s Lessons
When I first cast eyes on her, a young lady in a plaid cotton shirt with a back pack, she was pacing back and forth in ITB Departures, always on her cell phone. I hung around a bit to see if she needed anything, but she was too absorbed in her conversation to notice me or did not need any help, so I thought. Her language was foreign and sounded to be Spanish. She looked to be of Latin American descent with a slight tan. I gave up interacting, as I only would be interrupting, and I left her alone to take care of others. There was not going to be any shortage of travelers this day with the winter schedule now operating at full capacity.
It was the busiest time of the morning when a majority of the flights to the US and Mexico were loading. Working my way through the crowd, greeting and answering questions, I noticed in the aisle beyond Westjet a glaringly bright orange carry on bag that was off by itself with no one around it. Now where did it come from? Who left it behind? We have standard protocol to follow when luggage gets abandoned. I kept an eye on it for a few minutes to see if anyone came back to claim it, but still interacting with travelers. It has happened before that a traveler forgot a bag, or they did not want to pay for any charges to take the bag, often emptying out its belongings. But this bag was so clean and beautiful and not something to leave behind.
Security found it before I could report it because they were walking through the area. After a ten-minute wait, they proceeded to scan the bag to see if it contained a bomb. No one is allowed to touch or move the bag until this procedure has been completed. Once security gained comfort that the bag was clean, they took it away to the Information Desk as they have a Lost and Found section. After watching it go, back into the crowd I went, working my way back from where I came, giving directions when needed, but this took some time because everyone wanted me for something. Breaking through the crowd eventually, I noticed that young lady from before was now off her cell and getting drawn towards me like a magnet. She was sobbing when she came, like a child who was desperate and needed my love, poor thing.
She said she needed to go back to Chile, her homeland to visit her grandma whom she has not seen in at least twelve years. I am sure Grandma must be quite frail by now, as she was left behind when her family pulled out to immigrate to Canada. Time was of the essence to reconnect and revisit her past, and learn more about her family heritage. The granddaughter wanted to show her love and gratitude and provide tender loving care during her visit. Grandma helped make it all possible for the family to have a better life, to be given more opportunity to improve their lifestyle by breaking away from their previous frugal existence. She paid over $2,000 for her flight with the first leg flying to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) with Westjet.
Immigrants may not get a higher paying job upon arrival and they really need to be focused at saving up enough money to pay for a flight. Travelers are tempted to take the cheapest option for their journey, as not everyone has the financial clout to protect your investment, but she is young yet. I noticed her finger nails were polished, but not professionally done at a salon to confirm the conclusion reached on her limited finances. With the fare option chosen, surely, she would do everything possible to make sure she got on that flight, having confidence that she could successfully maneuver around any roadblocks. But here she was with me instead of being on the airplane, which was now on the runway ready for take off.
She had arrived late for her flight ignoring Westjet’s warning to come three hours before departure. She had not checked in with Westjet in advance. When she got to the counter for check in assistance, she could not find her reservation on her cell attached to an email. Westjet told her to step aside and stand by the glass railing so they could cater to other travelers, but to come back directly to the counter once the reservation and travel itinerary had been found. Her focus became solely on finding her reservation, eventually causing a phone call to a relative to gain assistance. After she finally was able to get her reservation code, she hastily went back to the counter. Westjet managed to find her reservation and proceeded to print off her boarding pass while asking if she was taking any luggage. She said she only had carry on, but not by her side in that moment. She was told that she needed to go through security immediately with her luggage, or she will miss her flight.
She had forgotten about her bag, as she was so absorbed in getting her boarding pass, but she remembered exactly where she left it and went back to retrieve it… only to find it was gone! As she could not find her luggage, she was not ready to get on the flight and therefore it became too late! Not only having missed her flight, she was out of pocket a huge sum of money that took months to save up for, and she also no longer had her luggage! I naturally showed remorse for the mess she found herself in, and this helped her cry even harder. I asked if her luggage was a carry on bag and was it bright orange. With a surprised look on her face, she said “yes”! I escorted her down to the Information Desk on the Arrivals level in the Domestic Terminal. We both could see her luggage at the counter, since they had not taken the time to put it in storage yet for Lost and Found items. Okay, well, now we are starting to turn her ship around since she now had back her belongings.
Reviewing what happened to learn what she could have done differently next time, I carried on giving her advice from an elder to accept what happened and move on from it, as there was nothing much she could do about it now. She then needed to get back on track with her trip plans to get to Chile and what it was going to cost. I knew there would be other options such as flying to Toronto, then taking a direct flight to Santiago, but no doubt at a substantial cost. Then it is a matter of how much credit if any could be applied from her cancelled flight, and what the remaining cost will be, and whether she can afford it. Normally Westjet will want you to go online to rebook, or call an agent to help sort this out since their live agents are busy helping others. But the peak period was over and Westjet should be more lenient to help if travelers may not be that capable to come up with an alternate viable plan on their own.
I escorted her back to the Westjet Departures check in ambassador where a motherly figure was positioned. I said my client could really, really use her help as she had a big, big problem. This Westjet agent knew where I was coming from as she could see for herself the hopeless, down trodden expression showing on her face. She took my words to heart and I knew she was going to take good care of my lady. I knew I had done what I could and I wished her good fortune. Hopefully that alternate plan would come into place to allow her to go visit her grandma before it was too late. She gave me the warmest thank you of gratitude with tears remaining in her eyes.
To summarize the lessons she learned all at once:
1. Don’t arrive at the terminal later than you should
2. Make sure you review your itinerary a few days before departure to learn as much as you can what you need to do to get on your flight.
3. Make sure you checked in online 24 hours before departure
4. Retrain your mind to keep focused regardless of consequences to protect your possessions (giving proper attention to detail).
5. Sometimes things can happen beyond your control causing elements of risk preventing you from catching a flight.
6. An economy ticket that is more flexible to allow you to change or cancel your flight is better than selecting a cheaper ticket that does not allow this option.
7. Be careful with booking flights through a travel agent, as you may not be informed of airplane policy, or be informed of changed or cancelled flights.
8. If the first leg of your flight is leaving from Calgary and operated by Westjet, book the whole flight itinerary through Westjet’s application, not with another airline, since it is important to get off to a good start.
View from Airdrie
I live in Airdrie north of the city and it just so happens on most days that the planes are flying overhead to land or take off from the airport. They make some loud noise, but actually I enjoy hearing them and I will even watch the planes to see if I recognize them. I can often tell the airplane and where it is going to or coming from, knowing the airport’s schedule, especially for international flights. I recall seeing Porter Airlines which is a smaller skinnier plane, Flair Airlines, Air North, Air Canada, and of course Westjet. The most magnificent, and by far the most beautiful, and the most majestic airplanes are Discover Airlines coming to/ from Frankfurt, and KLM to/ from Amsterdam. They are a sight to see from my deck midafternoon on a sunny day. I know these are bigger jets, but for whatever reason they also fly lower overhead than other airplanes. Maybe they need more distance to climb or come in to land.