84-year-old Vancouver Island woman asks Air Canada for ice pack, AHS hands her a bill for $450
An 84-year-old Air Canada passenger was shocked when she got a $450 bill from Alberta Health Services (AHS) after asking an attendant at the check-in desk for an icepack.
In January, Mary Marshall was boarding a flight form Calgary International Airport to return to her home in Sidney, B.C., on Vancouver Island.
“I had a large carry-on bag and I put it on the ramp, and I knew I twisted my back," said Marshall. “Fortunately, I had some over-the-counter relief for pain, which I took, and then I knew that a bag of ice or heat would help. That's normally my remedy.”
Marshall had experienced similar back issues in the past, and asked the Air Canada agent if she could get an ice pack.
To her shock and surprise, the agent’s call for medical assistance resulted in a visit from a paramedic, prompting a $450 bill, equivalent to ambulance service charges.
The bill from Alberta Health Services
“I kept saying, 'No, I don’t need anything but an ice pack, please. That’s all I need. I know how to deal with this; I’ve had it before,'” said Marshall.
Faced with paying the bill for a service she did not request, Marshall contacted Air Canada.
The company’s initial response acknowledged that the incident "did not meet the airline’s service expectations.”
Air Canada offered her a flight credit, but said that the $450 charge was her responsibility.
The airline initially offered a flight credit but said Marshall was responsible for the $450 bill.
At that point Marshall reached out to tell her story.
CTV News contacted Air Canada and shortly thereafter received an email stating: “Air Canada's customer care team is reviewing what happened in this unfortunate case and will be in touch with the customer directly.”
Almost simultaneously, Marshall received an email from the airline offering to settle her claim.
“Your case has been reviewed again," the email from Air Canada said, "and we would be more than happy to provide reimbursement of the bill in the amount of $450 CAD.”
Once they discovered CTV was intending to broadcast a story, Air Canada changed their minds and refunded Marshall $450
'Lawyer on their left and a reporter on their right'
Airline passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs says this case emphasizes the importance of passengers documenting every interaction with an airline, and speaking up when they feel wronged.
“I always recommend passengers to document everything that happens around them, to record their interactions with the airlines to keep photos, audio recordings, video recordings, receipts, letters, emails, everything, as if it was a multi-million-dollar trial, or maybe even as a murder trial, even though it is just a simple passenger dispute,” said Lukacs.
“The reality is that passengers need to have a lawyer on their left, and a reporter on their right to ensure that the airline treats them well,” he added.
Marshall is now satisfied with Air Canada’s response, but says it should never have taken calls to CTV News for the company to act.
“I think a lot of times we (who are) alone, and maybe seniors -- and women particularly -- get left in the cracks, and they're not heard,” said Marshall.
“I just think that other people who run across a situation like this should be able to speak out and tell their story and let it be heard," she added. "And not be discriminated against or they need to be listened to.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.