Couple ‘flabbergasted’ after Air Canada suspends tickets, costing them $6K to return from Portugal

A Newfoundland couple travelling home from Portugal was shocked to discover at the airport that Air Canada had suspended their tickets — and the only way to get back to St. John’s was to book new one-way fares for almost three times what they had originally paid for the entire trip.

“I was flabbergasted. My wife said she thought I was going to have a stroke,” said Randell Earle, a retired lawyer.‘My wife said she thought I was going to have a stroke.’– Randell Earle

“We ended up having to spend $6,100 to get a flight back to St. John’s.”

Earle was later told that the problem related to a “fraud detection technique” — something he didn’t understand, given the fact the same credit card had been used to book the outbound flight, without any problems.

Within hours of CBC News contacting Air Canada for comment on Friday, the Earles said the airline contacted them with a proposal to settle out of court, offering to pay the full amount for the new tickets plus other expenses.

They expect to receive a cheque by the end of the week.

In an emailed statement to CBC, Air Canada said: “We have been in contact with the Earle family, however as this is before the courts, it would be inappropriate for us to comment.”

In December, Earle and his wife Claudia booked a five-week round trip from St. John’s to Portugal through Air Canada’s website for about $2,400. They paid by credit card.