Taiwan Travel

Andrew and Mei's Taiwan Travel Blog Andrew and Mei's Taiwan Travel Blog Andrew and Mei are in Taiwan teaching English and exploring the island! What fun adventures will they have? Find out here! Monday, October 31, 2005 Asia pictures Hello everyone! I finally finished uploading the 293 photos that are in this album. Again, you'll have to log into Snapfish in order to see the photos. Enjoy! http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=547311130794745666/l=65291688/cobrandOid=1000321/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB posted by Mei @ 17:06 0 comments Thursday, October 27, 2005 First Trickle of Photos... You have to have a snapfish account in order to view the photos. Sorry about the catch (No pun intended)! But it's free and I will be uploading all of my pics onto Snapfish. I'm not sure how Andrew will upload his pics. http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=192271130458320686/l=64809203/cobrandOid=1000321/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB posted by Mei @ 17:18 0 comments Friday, October 21, 2005 What? Who? Where? Luckily, my jet lag has been minimal, so I can discern easily whether that ("What? Who? Where?") is coming from the Nicholas Cage impersonation on SNL or from yours truly. I think that has something to do with the fact that on our last day in Thailand, we had to get up at around 4:30 AM and were only able to sleep minimaly for the next 36 hours. That led to an immediate crash upon coming home. However, I have been waking up at 8 AM (what the hell) and taking long, extended naps during the afternoon. So what now? Ideally, I'll be sitting on my ass for as long as possible. I DO have my movie collection I hope to watch. But in reality, for me now I have to a) find a job, b) find a car, and c) find a place to live. Not neccessarily in that order, either. I need to organize my pictures into a digestible format, but until I get my monitor back (currently on loan) that is an impossible task to do. Oh well, maybe it's for the best. I still need to FIND jobs, APPLY, finish my school apps, get a car, clean my room, organize the boxes that will be coming home, and last but not least, trying to figure out how I'll be seeing my friends. So what do I immediately notice about here compared to where I was? Driving to Wells Fargo, I was just amazed by how big our neighborhoods are. In cities in Taiwan, there are no neighborhoods and there are no noticable zoning regulations. It seems to be everywhere you go there are 4-5 story buildings, with the bottom floor being relegated for businesses and the top floors for people to live. Houses are minimal except in the 'country', and convenient stores are LITERALLY on every corner instead of on every commercial corner. Comparatively, the density of people here to there is non-existent. And it's cold here! Man. This is me, the guy who hates the heat, who withers and dies. But I must have gotten used to it, at least more so that previously, because I'm not enjoying the SJ autumn, I'm wearing jackets and pants constantly, and my hands are nearly frozen off (I have bad circulation in my hands). Well, this may be one my last postings on this blog, since it's not mine. Thanks so much to 6Q for letting us post on here and use this space. Maybe I'll make one of my own for my random thoughts and to provide therapy, if you're remotely interested just let me know. So concludes our trip: now, it's 'back to the real world.' Thanks for taking the time to read this, everyone! I hope I get a chance to see you all soon!! posted by Andrew @ 09:01 0 comments Tuesday, October 18, 2005 Home. Safe and Sound! Hello everyone! We are home, happy and healthy! Our plane was a little delayed and we had some trouble getting our bag (but at least they made it!) The end of our trip was nice, but we got rained on during our trip to see one of the smaller islands, and our canopy trekking was very quick but fun. When I get all of my pics uploaded, I will post a link for you guys to see our pics, and maybe Andrew will get his plethora of great shots uploaded as well. It's been a great ride, thanks for going along with us! posted by Mei @ 22:13 0 comments Saturday, October 15, 2005 Counting Down... Only a couple of days left in our trip! We're enjoying the last few days, doing things like relaxing on the beach and stocking up on last minute supplies. Huh? Supplies? Well, DVDs and PS2 games are extremely cheap here. (Of course they are burned.) The thing is, I don't know if the PS2 games (sorry, they're called DVD games) will work, but I am pretty sure that they will. But as games have gone from $4 to $2.50 to $2 as we have progressed around Thailand, you can imagine that I've been going a little crazy. Like a moth to a flame is a better description. Not as cheap as $0 for unlimited games like Todd can get, but hey, all the (PS2) games I can want for, what, $50? Not too shabby. Now I just hope they work. It's also ridiculous the number of DVD's I have bought here. After leaving America with *2* tapes, I'll return with an infinite number of movies. In fact, I think when I do get home, I'll need a couple of months to get all the games and movies out of my system. THEN maybe I'll start looking for a job. Haha. posted by Andrew @ 16:31 0 comments Friday, October 14, 2005 Koh Samui is a beautiful Island! Super quickly: Made it to Samui safe and sound, our bungalow is about a 15 sec walk to a very quiet, almost private beach. We've rented a jeep to see the island and it is absolutely gorgeous! We have plans to go sea kayaking, snorkeling, and "canopy climbing" which is apparently going through the trees on ropes, like rapelling, but you go horizontally through the air, instead of vertically down a cave or cliff. Yay! posted by Mei @ 17:15 0 comments Wednesday, October 12, 2005 "Bangkok is bitchin'" To quote Jerry, the guy who placed us at our jobs in Taipei, "Bangkok is bitchin'." Well, as it turns out, not really. If you recall, Jerry, the recruiter in Taiwan who placed us at our jobs, is a habitual liar. Some of his other comments include, "Your job isn't far from Neihu." (in fact, on the complete other SIDE of Taipei, a mere 1 1/2 hours away by bus and train), "Teachers have all the leverage.", "Schools have all the leverage.", etc. He has an insatiable thirst for lying. This isn't to say that we went to Bangkok because of what HE said, no, no no no. It's the capital of Thailand, of course we're going to stop by and say hello. However, bitchin' isn't the term I'd use to describe Bangkok. Big? Definitely. Boisterous? Sure. Belligerent? Yeah, you bet. But bitchin'? Eh... Bangkok isn't a bad place, but it is what most large Asian cities tend to be: big, unorganized (aka chaotic), polluted (nasty air and nasty stuff on the sidewalk), crowded, and, of course, there's bad traffic. What with 6 million people here, it's understandable that driving around is a lot like Office Space. But there is some of the stuff that we came here to see: the history, the temples, the art. Today, for instance, we headed down to the river and took a boat up to the Grand Palace and the Green Emerald Temple. The temple is remarkable: typical Thai style architecture ornately decorated. The temples are tall and have many spires seemingly reaching out toward heaven. Inside there is an actual Green Emerald Buddha, who interestingly enough changes clothes every season to reflect the current season (i.e. rainy, hot, cold). We then went to the adjacent Grand Palace, which is currently being rennovated (deja vu to Beijing). The King lived here, I believe, and performs some duties here still. Quite similar to the Buckingham Palace structurally (of course it does, all kings get big, luxurious buildings) but is more green and has elephants. Then we took a tuk-tuk to the National Museum. I think we described tuk-tuks, but if not, briefly they are three-wheeled motorcycle taxis (with a roof). Driver in front, two seats in the back. Perfect to inhale car/motorcycle exhaust, feel the full extent of potholes in the roads, and avoid getting ripped off in. Not my favorite. The National Museum is enormous and remarkably not crowded, considering how close it is to the main attraction in the area (Grand Palace and adjacent temple), which has throngs of people. The first building had the history of Thailand and its kings, and I was amazed by how often Thailand was at war for a Buddhist nation. However, it appears to be all or mostly all defensive in nature, so the museum says (nearly all by Myanmar (ex-Burma), those crazy war-hungry people!). But I am thankful that with the exception of some territorial concessions to France and Britin, Thailand was never colonized, and the evidence is in the language. While many people speak good English, the Thai language is predominant and never adopted roman letters. Instead, Thai characters are used. Anyway, from there, we explored other parts of the museum, including ceramics, ivory, old war weapons, gold figures, etc. It was massive. There was so much stuff. there were also massive chariots used for what seemed to be funeral processions. MASSIVE. I mean, we saw a video, and there were maybe 3000 people carrying the largest chariot ceremonially. To actually carry some of these massive contraptions, 56 people were needed. We are now at our guest house. An hour after we got in a massive afternoon storm came by; it was torrential, but it's eased off a bit now. Looking forward to getting to Ko Samui and relaxing, but I'm not too thrilled about the 4 AM wake up tomorrow! Ack! posted by Andrew @ 17:38 1 comments Contributors 6Q Mei Andrew End #profile -- Previous Posts Asia pictures First Trickle of Photos... What? Who? Where? Home. Safe and Sound! Counting Down... Koh Samui is a beautiful Island! "Bangkok is bitchin'" One night in Bangkok...Well, actually 3... I just ate delicious Thai food, cooked by ME! In Chiang Mai! This blog goes to the end of China, more later! Archives July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005

Cheap Travel

Tim Leffel's Cheapest Destinations Tim Leffel's Cheapest Destinations Places where a fistful of dollars will pay for weeks of hotels, train rides, and meals. « More Reasons Not to Take a Cruise | Main | A Home Abroad vs. A Home at Home » November 22, 2005 "Cheap" Travel is Relative If you're not convinced that your choice of destination will have the biggest impact on your travel budget, mosey on over to the New York Times' Cheap Sleep article. It's a nice rundown on hip and stylish places that won't cost you as much as a night at the Four Seasons, but for anyone who has traveled to any of The World's Cheapest Destinations , $114 a night for a hotel with a shared bath seems downright warped. Other bargains in the article include a $107 hotel in Paris and a $124 hotel in L.A. with "Moroccan dcor." I won't go into what you can get for that amount of money in Morocco itself. Or how you could get a penthouse suite and all three meals for that price in most of Indonesia. But trust me when I say the price of a "bargain" room in these cities is near the top end of the scale in a few hundred other cities around the globe. I can attest to the fact that anything under $200 a night is definitely a deal in Manhattan, however--I was just there last week. The three of us stayed at Radio City Apartments , right off Times Square. Convenient location, a clean 2-bed room bigger than the one at the W I had last time, a kitchenette, and only $155 a night. (Plus loads of taxes, including a $3 Javitz Center tax. Funny, didn't realize I was there for a convention...) Of course meals cost a bundle, the subway's up to $2, we shared a cab from Newark Airport for $60, my inlaws got two drinks at a hotel bar for $18, going to the top of the Empire State Building is $14, yada yada yada. Before you know it, you've spent an amount of money that would last you weeks in other spots on the globe. But it's a great city, so you suck it up and keep opening the wallet. As New Yorkers will tell you though, the city is not without its deals. My daughter screamed with joy when she saw the carousel in Central Park. It put a big smile on my face too when I saw that it was only $1.25 a ride. Walking through the park was free of course, and beautiful at this time of year, with the leaves still changing colors. Speaking of free, perhaps the greatest bargain of all is the ride on the Staten Island Ferry. We timed it perfectly and saw the city from the water as the sun was going down, then the Statue of Liberty at sunset and when the torch is lit for the evening. I used to live up there and have seen it all before, but it's still magical. Posted by Tim Leffel at November 22, 2005 03:26 PM RSS Feed Forbes Best of the Web Buy The Book Untitled Document The Worlds Cheapest Destinations provides a capsule overview of 21 great travel bargains, with cost information for lodging, restaurant meals, local transportation, and attractions, including what you can get for a buck or less in each country. From the Great Pyramids to the Taj Mahal to some of the best snorkeling and diving spots on Earth, this book will show you where to have a fantastic experience without spending a fantastic fortune. Free Excerpt From The Book (PDF file - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Buy the Book Links Cheapest Destinations Web Site Destination Articles Search Search this site: Recent Entries A Home Abroad vs. A Home at Home "Cheap" Travel is Relative More Reasons Not to Take a Cruise U.S. Survey - Our Airlines Suck Responsible Tourism - Your Job Too (Relaxed) Travel Is Good for Your Health Charities Block Famine-Relief Savings Do Your Homework Before You Travel Yo, What About Guatemala? Money for Travel - a Matter of Priorities Archives November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 Find Other Blogs Popdex Blogarama BlogUniverse BlogWise Eatonweb Globe Of Blogs Powered by Movable Type 2.63

Travel

The AA: Traffic News - GB Traffic Accessibility Business Customers Partnering with the AA Jobs About Us Site Map Search Biscuit trail Home Routes & Traffic GB Traffic GB Traffic Current traffic news Choose from either Cities and Towns Select City Birmingham Bristol Cardiff and Newport Derby and Nottingham Edinburgh Glasgow Leeds and Bradford Liverpool London North London South Manchester Newcastle Preston Reading Sheffield Southampton or Regions Select Region East Anglia Greater London Midlands North East England North West England Scotland South East England Wales West Country or a Motorway / A Road Traffic News on the Move Call 401 100 from your mobile for live traffic reports on specific motorways or A-roads of your choice from the AA's new traffic and weather information line. More information about 401 100 from your mobile SMS traffic alerts to your phone Set up SMS traffic alerts for single journeys or for your daily commute and we will monitor your route and tell you about delays before you leave. For each traffic alert SMS you will be reverse-billed 50p. More information about SMS traffic alerts Traffic News links Terms & conditions Related content Routes & driving directions London congestion charging Main navigation Products & Services Routes & Traffic Routes in Britain Routes in Ireland Routes in Europe SMS Traffic Alerts Traffic News AA Navigator Advice & Information Email Newsletter Contact Us Security Promise © The Automobile Association Limited 2005 Website Terms & Conditions Call Charges Privacy Policy AA Motoring Trust

Germany Travel

Europe Travel - A European Vacation Travel Guide  You are here: About > Travel > Europe for Visitors Travel Go Europe Essentials European Vacation Planning Map Europe Travel 101 - Before you Go European Distances The Best of Europe European Photo Gallery Articles & Resources Europe Travel Planning What to do In Europe Lodging - Hotels and More European Travel Maps Sex and Nudism Travel Photography Transportation Benelux Countries France Germany Austria Switzerland Greece Italy and Malta Travel Info Scandinavian Travel Spain and Portugal United Kingdom and Ireland Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Italy Travel Guidebooks Europe Travel Guidebooks German Travel Guidebooks Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Europe for Visitors newsletter! See Online Courses   Search Europe for Visitors From James Martin , Your Guide to Europe for Visitors . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Antwerp Pictures Antwerp is a fashion and diamond center for Belgium and the world, it has one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe, and it was home to artist Peter Paul Rubens in the 17th century. What's not to like about this Belgian port city? See what it's all about in our latest photo Gallery: Antwerp Pictures . More Antwerp Travel: Antwerp Travel Directory | Antwerp Lodging | Antwerp Museums Wednesday December 28, 2005 | permalink Like to Travel Well? Follow the CIA! I really should have paid attention when the CIA came recruiting at my college. Operatives really get to live it up when they travel, apparently. Imagine, the lucky seven of the "Surveillance Team" sent out to case the joint before kidnapping 39-year-old Muslim preacher Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, managed to spend "$39,995, not counting meals, parking and other services" for a week at Milan's Principe di Savoia ( check prices ), where a room goes for a mere $588 a night, according to Newsday . Once Abu Omar was behind bars in Cairo the CIA folks broke up and went their various ways, some to the renowned Grand Hotel Baglioni ( check prices ) in Florence , a few in cozy pairs to save the taxpayers money, no doubt. Travel Resources: Milan Profile | Florence Profile Tuesday December 27, 2005 | permalink Tapas from Cans? Ok, so you wander into one of Barcelona's most celebrated tapas bars thinking, "wow, I'm gonna down me some fine, fresh seafood this evening--non of that canned stuff like we get at home..." Well, Quimet and Quimet is one of Barcelona's best tapas bars, recommended by just about anyone. Joaquim Perez, owner of Quimet and Quimet, has been called Barcelona's culinary king of canned food. That's right, a tapas king devoted to high-quality goods preserved in metal. I had heard about the increasing interest in vintage sardines , whose flavors are said to increase in intensity and complexity with aging. But Mr. Perez has extended this idea of unlikely gourmet tinkering; he buys "fresh" Galician navajas (clams) from the cannery and sets them to aging for a year or two before serving them (plain) to his customers. And they love 'em. Maybe you should go and see what this canned gourmet thing is all about. There are worse places to spend time on a research expedition. More: Gastronomic Route: Barcelona, a tapas town? Travel Resources: Barcelona Guide | Barcelona Pictures Thursday December 22, 2005 | permalink North Holland: Noah's Ark Redux A pious north Holland businessman took out a 300 000 loan and turned his investment into a "faithful reconstruction of Noah's Ark in scaled down form on the basis of biblical texts," according to the Mail & Guardian . Spring is the expected launch date. No word on where the animals will come from. Travel Resources: North Holland Travel | Holland Map | Benelux Rail Passes Thursday December 22, 2005 | permalink Appreciate Long John Shivers? Head for the Alps I know I frequently extol the virtues of off season travel, but there's a whole bunch of adventurers willing to go the extra mile in their long johns to enjoy icier surroundings than I'd care to experience. Those would be the Ice Hotel People. Word from Vagablond is that "a new ice hotel is being constructed 7,000 feet up into the German Alps." HotelChatter says this ice hotel might well be part of the Iglu-Dorf chain, who specialize in things like Inuit igloos in Switzerland. Like it cold? Get you thrills in the Alps this winter. I'll toast your bravado at the hearth with a steaming hot toddy. Travel Resources: Germany map and Travel Essentials | Switzerland Map and Travel Essentials . Tuesday December 20, 2005 | permalink Europe Travel in the Off Season Why travel in the off season? Well, you know the reasons: fewer tourists, lower prices, and cooler temperatures, to name a few. But there's another reason for me, and that's the warm, slanting light that brings photos alive. See what I mean by taking a gander at: Liguria Pictures - Picture Gallery of Liguria in Autumn . And if you still want to see more pictures of Italy , try out Italy for Visitors Florence Pictures , taken in November. Travel Resources: Off Season Travel Tips | Italy Travel Map Sunday December 18, 2005 | permalink Travel Gifts Ok, you're thinkin' it's too late to post some ideas for gifts at this late date. Hey, you can chalk it up to sloth and indolence, but I don't start burdening my mind with thoughts about winter holidays in May like the rest of my family. The crunch starts now. So I've made up a list of recommended Travel Gifts . Of course, you could buy some of the stuff for yourself as well. Take a look. You've got language help, a deep, inside look at the Vatican, and more, not to mention that Tyrolean Boiled Wool Jacket like you've always wanted. More Stuff You Need: Top Travel Photography Gear Friday December 16, 2005 | permalink Joe Torre carries the Olympic Torch in Florence New York Yankee manager Joe Torre carried the Olympic torch 400 yards to the foot of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence yesterday as part of "American day" in the two-month Olympic torch relay. It was the first time he'd been to Italy in 20 years, despite the fact that his mother was born in the village of Patina near Naples. (Source: Indystar.com ) The torch Joe carried was designed by the folks at Pininfarina , who've banged out quite a few sexy Italian auto bodies in their time. The Olympic torch is designed to work in rain, snow and wind up to 74.56 miles per hour, not to mention temperatures from -4°F to +77°F. According to what I've heard, the torch suffered much less than Mr. Torre during the run. Travel Resources: Florence Travel Directory | Florence Pictures: Views from the Arno | Naples Travel Directory Photo above: Ponte Vecchio, Florence by Martha Bakerjian, Italy for Visitors ; click "read more" to see it larger. Read more... Thursday December 15, 2005 | permalink Sunny Valencia It's cold here in my corner of California, prime time to think of warmer climes. Valencia pops to mind. Host to the 2007 America's cup, the sunny Spanish port city has been spiffing itself up lately, and many travelers have remarked that Valencia seems to be passing Barcelona as Spain's city of tourist choice. What's not to like? The spring La Fallas festival is a not to be missed attraction (plan now if you're going), the City of Arts and Sciences holds 87 acres of fascinating art, science and architecture, and the Barrio del Carmen is chock full of music, restaurants and clubs. Find out more about Valence by taking a peek at our latest: Valencia Spain Travel Information - Valencia Profile , or peruse our Valencia Travel Directory . Wednesday December 14, 2005 | permalink Hey Santa! Take That! Scroogy Musings: So a couple guys in Germany get asked what they want for Christmas by Santa, who happens to be waiting for a train home. They've been out shopping all day, unsuccessfully one assumes, because the next thing you know they've latched on to Santa's sack and "beat him over the head with it, breaking his fingers as he tried to protect himself." ( Santa - Germany's new stress buster ) Santa on a train? in Germany? A bit early, isn't it? Has the Christmas spirit been so commercialized that the little people like us suffer with the stress of plunking down good cash for stuff we think people might like but probably won't? Where is the joy of it all? Everyone remembers the magical experience of visiting Santa in the mall when they were kids and the smile it brought to your face. Unfortunately over the last few years it seems the spirit of Christmas is slowly being lost due to many different reasons including political correctness, busier lifestyles and many more issues. Hold on a sec. Now I'm angrier than a red-nosed reindeer. Everyone doesn't remember. Some of us are way too old to conjure the disgraceful vision of mall Santas in their mothball costumes and fake beards. The statement above comes from Live From Lapland (dot com). For a bit less than 15 dollars they'll make a custom video staring Santa, who'll be talking to your kids using the words you put in his mouth via the web site's control panel. Their Santa evidently lives in a paneled room and wears mall Santa clothes and beardage. It's in the sample flick. He could be in Kansas. Still, where else you gonna get a five minute flick to your specs for $14.95? Travel Resources: Lapland (the real one) | Chrismas in Europe Tuesday December 13, 2005 | permalink Display Latest Headlines | | | Read Archives powered by Movable Type Advertisement Most Popular Europe Map - Distances Between Cities in Western Europe Europe's Best Nudist Beaches Europe Picture Galleries Italy Pictures Europe Travel 101 - Before You Travel to Europe for the Firs... What's Hot Power Adapters Noord-Holland - Delights of North Holland Travel Visiting Pompeii Italy Guidebooks Naples - Getting There Related Topics France for Visitors Greece for Visitors United Kingdom / Ireland for Visitors Eastern Europe for Visitors Italy for Visitors        Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About New Video iPod - Review POLL: Must-Have Gadgets VIDEO: Portable Gaming VIDEO: Choosing a TV Hugh Hefner's Life What's Hot Power Adapters Noord-Holland - Delights of North Holland Travel Visiting Pompeii Italy Guidebooks Naples - Getting There Headlines Antwerp Pictures Antwerp is a fashion and diamond center for Belgium and... Like to Travel Well? Follow the CIA! I really should have paid attention when the CIA came... Tapas from Cans? Ok, so you wander into one of Barcelona's most celebrated... North Holland: Noah's Ark Redux A pious north Holland businessman took out a 300 000...

Air Travel Complaints Program

FAQ's - How to file a complaint Complaints - Home The Agency's Role Jurisdiction of the Agency Types of Complaints General Consumer Information How to file a complaint People who want to make a complaint against an air carrier may mail or fax the Agency at: Canadian Transportation Agency Air Travel Complaints Program Ottawa, Ontario K1A ON9 Fax: (819) 953-5686 For more information, you may call the Agency from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 8 pm, Eastern Time, at: Phone: 1-888-222-2592 TTY: 1-800-669-5575 You may also file a complaint directly over the Internet Is there anything I should do before I contact the Agency? You should collect all your facts, receipts, names and phone numbers of people to whom you spoke and, most importantly, a copy of your ticket. Having this information at hand will assist in the review of your complaint. Approaching the carrier with your concerns is often a good idea as many problems can be handled quite quickly that way. In the end if you feel that you have a justifiable complaint, or if you are not satisfied with how the airline has resolved your complaint, you may bring it to the Agency. Do I need to complain to the carrier first? In many instances, issues or problems may be dealt with quite quickly and simply by bringing the situation to the attention of the carrier first . Some issues such as quality of service provided by an airline should first be brought to the carrier's attention before the Agency will be able to address your complaint. How can I complain to an air carrier directly when I don't know how to reach them so that my complaint will get dealt with? Here is a list of the largest Canadian Air Carriers' Customer Service Departments . What if I don't have all the information from my flight? While it would be helpful to have as much information as possible concerning your air travel arrangements, this does not prevent you from filing your complaint. However, you may encounter delays while staff researches the information that is needed to deal with the complaint. In some cases, it may be impossible to make a determination without sufficient relevant information. What needs to be included in my complaint? The more detail you can provide in your complaint, the more easily the matter can be resolved. Please see the complaint forms for details on the type of information which you should provide for different types of complaints. If you do not have all the information that the form requires, that is okay, but it will take extra time to find that information and process your complaint. Is there a time limit to file a complaint? No, but in practical terms it is better to bring the matter to the carrier's or Agency's attention sooner rather than later. The older a complaint, the more difficult it may be to obtain necessary documents, records, or information. Do I need a lawyer? You do not need to hire a lawyer in order to file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency. The complaint process is simple and easy to understand. Of course, you may consult a lawyer if you wish. Are there any fees/costs to process my complaint? There is no charge to file a complaint with the Agency. Once I file my complaint, what happens? When the Agency receives a complaint, a few things must be verified before the complaint can be processed. First, the complaint is examined to determine if it falls within the jurisdiction of any other government department or agency. If so, then it will be referred to the appropriate organization, and at the same time you will be notified where it has been sent. Then, it must be verified that you have first raised the issue with the air carrier. If you have not, then your complaint will be forwarded to the airline on your behalf to give the carrier the opportunity to resolve it. If you are still not satisfied with the way in which the airline handled your complaint, then the Agency can become involved. The nature of the complaint and the outcome that you seek will be determining factors in how the Agency deals with your complaint. Your complaint will be reviewed to ensure that it is clear and complete. It is possible to expedite matters if you collect all the facts, receipts, names and numbers of people who were involved and, most importantly, a copy of the ticket. Having this information at hand will greatly assist in the review and resolution of your complaint. Once the Agency has received all your relevant information, it will be forwarded to the carrier to give the airline a chance to respond. Should the air carrier raise any new issue or information, then you may be asked to respond. The Agency will try, whenever possible, to arrive at a solution acceptable to both parties. Even if your particular complaint cannot be resolved, it will prove useful in assisting the Agency to analyze and report on trends in customer service issues for the airline industry. If you are curious about the status of your complaint at any time, you may call the Agency staff assigned to your case, using your case reference number, to get an update. How long does it take? The Agency's procedures for a regulatory complaint require a resolution within 120 days unless an extension is agreed to by all parties. The length of the complaint process will depend heavily on the complexity of the complaint, on the quality and accuracy of information that is provided, and the type of outcome you seek. It is possible to expedite matters if you collect all the facts, receipts, names and numbers of people who were involved and, most importantly, a copy of the ticket. Having this information at hand will greatly assist in the review and resolution of your complaint. What will the Agency do if it finds in my favour? The Agency's response will depend on the nature of the complaint. If the Agency found that a fare, rate or increase offered on a route within Canada served by only one carrier was unreasonable, then the Agency could disallow the fare, rate or price increase; direct the carrier to reduce the fare, rate or increase; and order the payment of refunds, if practical, to passengers who were found to have been overcharged. If the Agency found that a term or condition of carriage in a carrier's tariff was unreasonable or unduly discriminatory, it could prohibit the carrier from applying that term or condition, and it may also substitute a new term or condition in its place. If the Agency found that a carrier failed to apply its tariff , it could order the carrier to apply its tariff as written and order the carrier to pay compensation for out of pocket expenses to a passenger if he or she was adversely affected by the carrier's failure to apply its tariff. If the complaint involved a carrier discontinuing or reducing its service to a community without giving proper notice, the Agency could order the carrier to resume service for up to 60 days or could impose a fine. In some circumstances, the Agency can also fine a carrier for specified violations of the Act. What happens if the Agency does not find in my favour? If the Agency finds in favour of the air carrier, the complaint would be dismissed and the matter would be closed. What happens if I'm not happy with the outcome of my complaint? If the facts or circumstances relating to an Agency decision changed after the decision was made, then either you or the carrier could ask the Agency to review its finding. You may also appeal the Agency's finding to the Federal Court of Appeal or ask the Federal Cabinet to review it. These processes would probably require the assistance of a lawyer. The Air Travel Complaints Program's role is to assist air travellers in resolving their complaints against air carriers through an informal complaint process. If a satisfactory resolution to the complaint is not achieved, the case may be referred to the Agency's formal complaint process. Last Updated: 2005-10-24 [ Important Notices ]