A Winnipeg man was shocked when he arrived for his flight to Lisbon, Portugal and was denied by Air Canada.
Reegan Bourgeois said he booked the ticket months in advance through a discount website. He said he wasn’t told he was flagged until he showed up to board his flight. That’s when he said Air Canada told him that he was on a list.
“At that point, they wouldn’t let me board the plane. They wouldn’t let me purchase another ticket because I was on this list,” said Bourgeois.
He booked another ticket last minute through United Airlines and flew to Portugal without incident.
Bourgeois said he was never told why he was on the list, but thinks it’s related to an incident last year.
He said he was suffering from depression and went to book a last-minute ticket through Air Canada. He said he lost his temper when nothing was available.
“In my state at the time, that kind of aggravated me so you know there was a bit of an altercation where I got mad. They got a little…defensive,” he said.
Bourgeois said he calmed down and apologized after the police were called. He said he thought the issue was resolved until this incident.
Bourgeois said he wants an explanation from Air Canada, and the difference in price between his original ticket and the one he bought last minute from United Airlines. He also wants the airline to make sure it won’t happen to another person.
Air Canada said that it will flag people, but couldn’t comment on the specifics of Bourgeois’ case. It said that the only way to confirm the identity of a customer is in person, at the ticket counter.
Air Canada said that it did issue a refund to the website Bourgeois used to purchase his original ticket.
