Created: Jul 20, 2023 07:59 AM

Long-haul service: Air Canada (Photograph by Blaire Simmons)

Dear Sir,

The following may seem unbelievable, but, I assure you it describes exactly what I have experienced during the past few days.

I am due to fly to Toronto on July 31, returning to Bermuda on August 9. Last Thursday I received an e-mail from Air Canada stating that, for business reasons, my flight to Toronto had been changed. Listed were the new flight details.

I was astonished to read that my new scheduled flight takes me on July 31 on British Airways to London — yes, London, England — arriving early the next morning. There is then a four-hour wait and I am scheduled to fly from London to Toronto, arriving on August 1.

My dear reader, you may be as incredulous as I was. I thought this must be a mistake. The e-mail suggested that if I did not like this change, I could go online and make other changes. However, when I went online, there was no way of my changing the flight from Bermuda to Toronto.

In desperation, I spent almost another $600 and booked a one-way ticket to Toronto on WestJet for July 31. The e-mail from Air Canada also stated that if I did not get on the first scheduled flight, my whole journey would be cancelled. This I did not want. Quite obviously, I need to come back from Toronto to Bermuda.

I then tried to call Air Canada. This has been the most frustrating experience. In total, I have spent six hours with my phone on speaker trying to get hold of a human person at Air Canada, but to no avail.

So, as I write this letter, I have a ticket on July 31 with WestJet to fly to Toronto. I have a ticket with Air Canada to fly to Toronto via London, England on July 31. Finally, I have a ticket to come back to Bermuda on August 9 with Air Canada, provided I accept the ticket from Bermuda to London.

How on earth am I supposed to resolve this issue? By the way, the number listed for Air Canada in Bermuda does not work any more.

CAROLE FIGUEIREDO

Warwick