Daniel Doody says his trip to the Yukon earlier this month was ruined when he learned his luggage wouldn’t arrive with him.
“I have enough money to get home, I don’t have enough money to re-buy a whole wardrobe,” he said.
A student in the military, he was travelling from Nova Scotia to the Yukon to visit his brother and new niece.
It’s a trip he rarely gets to take because of the cost. In fact, Doody resorted to using travel reward points to book the first portion of his flights.
But during a March 13 layover in Vancouver, he learned his luggage, containing all of his winter gear, had been left behind.
He said he was informed that many passengers had their luggage removed from the aircraft due to weight distribution.
In an email, Porter Airlines said this doesn’t happen frequently but it does happen.
“[Twenty] bags were unexpectedly removed from the flight due to weight and balance restrictions,” the airline wrote. “All bags, with the exception of Mr. Doody’s, have since been delivered.”
While he understands things can happen, Doody said he expected more from Porter.
When he told the airline he had a $2,000 non-refundable excursion booked and needed the gear he had packed, Porter said it could do nothing for him.
Scheduled to spend the night in a hotel before flying on to the Yukon, Doody had planned to unpack his jacket so he could wear it on his final flight. He said it was too warm to wear an arctic jacket any time before that.
With only a sweatshirt and running shoes, Doody spent much of his trip indoors.
He was on a tight budget and couldn’t easily replace his winter jacket and boots. His suitcase also held gifts for his niece as well as the laptop he needed for school work.
He said there was plenty of time to catch up with family, but he doesn’t think he got the trip he paid for.
“I’ve been on the phone with them [Porter Airlines] every day since [I arrived]. It’s really a waste of a trip. I feel like I’ve been ripped off.”
He said the least Porter could have done was notify him that his luggage would be left behind.
During his many phone calls with the airline, Doody said he was told the issue was in the courier’s hands and that he was hung up on twice.
“I’ve never been treated like this from an airline in my life.…Things like this need to be addressed and somebody needs to get them [Porter Airlines] in gear cause they can’t be treating people like this, it’s unacceptable.”
CBC learned Doody’s luggage arrived in Vancouver on March 14, the day after he arrived, and Porter arranged to have his bag delivered to him via FedEx. Doody only received a FedEx tracking number on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, the service has been unable to deliver the bag as intended,” Porter Airlines said in an email to CBC.
After CBC contacted the airline, Doody was given a $200 voucher to be used within the year, and the airline said a customer representative would contact him to discuss the expenses incurred.
“We hold ourselves to a high standard and recognize the impact a delayed bag can have on a passenger’s travel experience…. We hope we can regain Mr. Doody’s trust and welcome him back on board soon,” Porter Airlines wrote.
On the final day of Doody’s trip, Porter requested the delivery be stopped and his luggage returned to them so it could be sent back to Nova Scotia.
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