More than three million customers are expected to travel with Air Canada this holiday season, aboard 1,200 daily flights with Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, and Air Canada Express.
Tina Flammia, Director of Global Concierge and premium Customer Experience at Air Canada, shared her top holiday travel tips with Open Jaw. Today marks her 35th year with Air Canada, during which she navigated various roles, from reservations to managing operations across Canada and North America. It has been an incredible journey for Flammia within the Air Canada family.
Judging by the numbers travelling over the next few weeks, everyone can use these tips to make their journey less stressful. Flammia says the first step is to download the Air Canada Mobile App.
"You can check in, download your digital boarding pass, get live updates on your flight and much more.
"With the Air Canada Mobile App, you'll know everything you need about your flight - when to be at the airport, the latest time to drop off your bag, your gate number, and your meal preference.
"It will provide information on the meal service on board for your particular flight. If you want to book a meal ahead, you can do that too.
"It will tell you whether the flight has Wi-Fi capabilities and provide you with a seat map, depending on your cabin and where you're flying to.
"Once you get to the airport, the Air Canada Mobile App will guide you through the three-step process of checking in and dropping off your baggage.”
What are those steps?
Step 1. Visit a check-in kiosk and scan your boarding pass to print and attach your baggage tags.
Step 2. Drop off your checked bags at the Air Canada baggage counter.
The scanner recognizes your bag's destination. If you approach the wrong area, it won't budge and will alert you that it can't be accepted for the intended flight, showcasing its intelligent digital recognition.
Step 3. Follow the signs to security and then to your gate.
Baggage tracking just launched in Canada, and Flammia explains how it works:
"If you're flying within Canada, you can track your bag from when you drop it off to when it arrives at your destination. It's available within Canada only, but in the new year, we'll see that extend to the US, followed by international flights.
"On the Air Canada Mobile App you can check when it's loaded onto the aircraft and when it's offloaded to when it's arrived at the baggage carousel.
"For those who are not tech savvy, Flammia advises, "I encourage family members or their children to help navigate the app. It's so simple. My father used it for the first time while travelling and could not believe how simple it was."
A Few Final Tips From Our Expert Concierge Flammia
Pack smart. Stay within your limits; if you are not checking baggage, make sure it fits within luggage limits.
Aeroplan members can text for free onboard, sponsored by Bell, on all Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft.
When arriving back in Canada, download the ArriveCan App. It will make your entry much faster as this is a separate section, and your customs information has been declared by the App.
For more information, visit aircanada.com
