Air Canada has started charging a non-refundable fee of $30 per passenger on new bookings made through its telephone contact centre, the National Post reports.
The charge applies to bookings made from 15 October, so a family of four booking by phone would pay an extra $120. It does not apply to bookings made on the website or through the app. The airline said its digital tools helped to cut waiting times and let agents concentrate on cases that need personal support, and that the fee matched an existing charge on Aeroplan reward bookings.
Passengers who call for help with an existing booking that has been delayed, cancelled or otherwise disrupted will not be charged. The newspaper said a recorded message on the customer line on Monday mentioned the fee and warned that waits could exceed an hour.
Source: National Post
