Flight Changed to Rouge Without Notifying
In March of this year, I booked and paid for return Business Class seats travelling from Calgary, Canada to Maui, Hawaii. In October, I found out, whilst looking up another booking I had with the carrier, that they had changed my flight significantly: a) the flight number had changed, b) the flight times were now 4 hours earlier (both ways) and c) the carrier was now Air Canada Rouge, their “vacation airline”. This meant our original Business Class seats were now in “Premium Rouge” which is, by all accounts, not business class, and is more akin to premium economy. I had received no notification of any of these changes. Upon speaking to the airline, they confirmed that I would not have received any notification until one month before my flights were due to operate. I do not understand this, as it affects all the other people travelling with us on the vacation (we are a group), the hire car, the accommodation etc. But furthermore, they offered me $226 for the downgrade from my original full business class booking with Air Canada to their budget offering. I of course rejected this paltry sum. Can they get away with this? I have paid non-refundable rates for the 2 weeks of accommodation in Maui. The entire trip would have been planned differently if I had known the flights were with Rouge, the dates would have been different and I would have flown with my usual Westjet in their premium seats for a quarter of this price. But of course those seats have now sold out. What is my legal position here?
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