Complain about a product or service

Air Canada

Asim Javed Uppal of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, writes (3/31/03):
My name is Asim Javed Uppal, the Managing Director of Pakistan Foundation for the Advancement of Engineering & Tehnology. I am a Pakistan national and am permanently resident in Pakistan. I had a business meeting to attend in Calgary in Canada. I have a valid Pakistan Passport issued in December 2002. My name there appears as Asim Javed Uppal. Asim Javed is my first name and Uppal is my last name. The name is in correct order written as is customary in Pakistan. My National Identity Card also shows Asim Javed Uppal as my name.

Embassy of Canada in Islamabad issued me the Visa. As it is customary to them, they wrote my name as ‘Uppal Asim Javed ’, last name first and first name after it. The Visa appears on the same Passport which carries my name as ‘Asim Javed Uppal’. This shows that the person is the same, it is only the way of writing names.

I purchased a return ticket Dated 22, Dec, 2002 from Qatar Airlines office in Lahore Pakistan. Again as it is customary in Pakistan the ticket shows my name as ‘Asim Javed Uppal’ The computer bookings also showed my name as ‘Asim Javed Uppal’. I traveled on this ticket from Lahore by Qatar Airlines Flight QR335 on Feb 25,2003 to Doha and Flight QR001 to London. No one objected as it was obvious that I am the same person. Spending three days in UK I boarded Air Canada Flight No AC851 on 28 Feb 2003. No objection was raised.

I spent 10 days in Canada. But when I approached Calgary Airport to take Air Canada return Flight on 7 March, the boarding counter refused to issue me a boarding pass on the pretext that my name appearing as ‘Asim Javed Uppal ’ on the ticket differs from the visa which shows ‘Uppal Asim Javed’. They called Airport Security people to back them up on their stand.

Customer Service Manager Catherine Gregory forced me to purchase a new ticket. A poor traveler on the last part of his Journey who had spent all what he had earmarked for this purpose. had to arrange more money with great difficulty. The plight, misery and torture that I was subjected to were tremendous. When I was forced to spend money for no fault of mine.

There was some mention of some recent notification’ that the ticket should be made in the same name as appears on the visa. But my ticket was purchased as early as Dec, 2002 This notification could not be applied to me and even if it could be applied, it was the airline's responsibility as they had already issued me a valid ticket. A notification coming at a later date cannot be applied on a document that has already been prepared earlier.

At one time I am refused to be on board as I could be a security hazard. I did not remain a security hazard when I paid more money for another ticket. This clearly shows that it is not the security which is the concern. It is the money.

Editor's Note: We don't normally use complainants' full names but in this instance, it didn't seem necessary, or feasible for that matter.

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