Rule Number One: We Don't Talk About Air Canada's Poor Service

It wasn't the employee but her daughter who complained:

The woman, who did not wish to be named, told Insider that she filed a complaint with the airline after what she deemed to be poor customer service by gate staff. She had bought a ticket using flying privileges given to her by her mother.

The woman emailed senior officials at the airline and copied in media outlets, which appeared to prompt the airline to retaliate by revoking her mother's flying privileges for two years.

An email sent to the employee suggested her daughter had misrepresented herself as a revenue-generating customer.

Her 62-year-old mother, who is an administrator, also was then disciplined by the airline and issued with the same punishment.

An email seen by Insider shows a senior official telling the employee that she would not be allowed to fly standby for two years.

"I had a really like sickening feeling when my mother told me what they did to her," the woman said. "It's one thing for me to be reprimanded, but it's totally different for my actions impacting my mom."

Stand-by tickets allow airline employees to fly anywhere for a fraction of the normal cost and are one attraction of working for a long-established carrier such as Air Canada.

The woman told Insider that stand-by privileges were the main reason her mother, who is close to retirement, took the job. She is now worried she will lose her job if the situation escalates.

The woman said her mother went to her union, but was told there was nothing they could do, and suggested she apologize to try to reduce her penalty.

 

I think it is less a breach of confidentiality and more about another black eye for this disreputable carrier.