AC, WJ, and the Passport office may also consider and benefit ...
This last July, I tried to fly out of Pearson International Airport, twice. The first time was with Air Canada and the second time was with West Jet. Both flights were for a direct non-stop flight to Tampa, Florida.
Having arrived at the airport three hours in advance of my flight, I thought I was safe. I was still in the line-up for US Customs and my flight was due for departure in 10 minutes. I tried numerous times to get any “uniformed” person’s attention but with no success. I finally shouted if there were passengers on Air Canada flight to Tampa. About a dozen people responded ... yes, I am ... yes, we are ... me too ... what’s happening? To which I smiled and said “that’s great” with a dozen of us, the plane may wait for us. A couple of US Custom officers that saw what happened were so courteous; they called us and got us through quickly, and yes, the Air Canada plane waited for us. OUF... I and my “small team of followers and new friends” were so happy we made it.
The second time, I was flying West Jet and although I arrived now 3 ½ hours ahead of the flight, I did not make it. The West Jet IT system was down for the day ... the self-serve kiosk machines were not working, both, website, and APP were down, even the West Jet staff terminals were dead. I felt sorry for the staff that were facing angry travelers and did not know what to do and what to say to customers. What a mess!
A month earlier, I had arrived from Paris with Air France without my two pieces of luggage. Hundred of suitcases and bags were lined up unclaimed on the luggage arrival hall. Chaos and confusion. My main suitcase thankfully arrived after two days and a small backpack I checked-in took 45 days to arrive but to this day is still at the airport waiting for paperwork to be released.
This is where an idea hit me ... Pearson Airport should consider outsourcing their operations to AMAZON. Whether you are a fan or not of Amazon, you must admit, they have excellent logistics. Amazon carries +/- 12 million items across its categories. It does not matter if you order a toothbrush or a six-foot-tall safe that weight 1500 pounds; if you are a Prime Customer, you will get it either the next day or the day after and Amazon Super Save delivery is free. Organising our troubled YYZ would be a piece of cake!
You may think that I am being sarcastic, but I am not. Pearson is the largest airport in Canada and used to facilitate travel for almost 50 million travelers. What is happening now is so damaging to Toronto, to Canada and to all Canadians. We need tourists and visitors to comeback so we can recuperate the losses of the last two years of COVID. Furthermore, we need to protect our reputation of a great destination. We should add to this, our own people that want to travel inside and outside of Canada. You can be caught unprepared sometime but to stay for so long in this chaos is simply unacceptable.
Maybe Air Canada and West Jet should also consider outsourcing several parts of their operations. I believe they would be in for a surprise: Computers can be made to be reliable and efficient. Customer service is an absolute priority in a competitive world. If you cannot do it on your own, then you should consider outsourcing to capable private sector businesses that can get the job done. Come to think of it, Canada Passport offices may also consider outsourcing their service. Throughout my bad experiences I met great employees on the front line. They are definitely not the problem. The problem probably resides in the corner offices and conference rooms where senior executives have lost their focus and motivation.
As a Canadian who dearly loves this country, I am sad to see Canada being run by big government that does not care and large institutions that appear to be only concerned with covering their turf. Executives who only want to make undeserved bonuses because they have friends in high places should be replaced. To succeed in business, you need to respect profoundly your employees and customers. Don’t aim for perfection but aim for excellence in all you do. Look after your employees and they will look after your customers. That’s the only way to have a sustainable healthy bottom line. Let’s GO CANADA.
(730)