An airline staffer has been banned from flying for two years after her daughter complained about a lack of customer service when trying to board a flight.
The daughter, who wishes not to be named, told Business Insider she had bought a ticket using Air Canada flying privileges given to her by her mother.
However, after allegedly experiencing poor customer service by gate staff, she filed a complaint with the airline, having also copied in media outlets.
The daughter’s act led to the airline not only revoking her standby flying privileges, but that too of her 62-year-old administrator mother for two years.
Standby tickets allow airline employees to fly anywhere for a fraction of the normal cost, something that had attracted the woman’s mother to the job.
According to Insider, an email sent to the employee suggested her daughter had misrepresented herself as a revenue-generating customer.
“I had a really like sickening feeling when my mother told me what they did to her,” the woman told the publication.
“It’s one thing for me to be reprimanded, but it’s totally different for my actions impacting my mum.”
The woman’s mother, who has fears over losing her job, approached the union who reportedly advised her nothing could be done and that apologizing could help in reducing the penalty.
An Air Canada spokesperson told the outlet that employee travel is a “special privilege”.
“[It is] a unique and generous perk of working for an airline that comes with responsibilities which the overwhelming majority of employees and families understand and value,” the spokesperson said.
“We take feedback about our services seriously. In fact, we undertook an investigation into the complaint lodged, and subsequently found facts which did not align with what was presented.”
.