A Toronto family planning to travel to Winnipeg – their previous home – missed their oath of Canadian citizenship due to a logistical error by online travel agency Priceline, which incorrectly booked airline tickets.
Divya Polavaram had booked plane tickets several weeks in advance for herself, her mother and her two children to officially become Canadian citizens as part of the traditional citizenship oath, she explained in an interview with CP24.
After completing the entire process on the Priceline website on October 3, she then received confirmation of the reservation of four tickets on a Flair flight, according to an email from the discount travel agency obtained by the media.
When she tried to check in online the day before her flight, on October 16, she became aware of a problem. She then contacted Priceline, who informed her that Flair never confirmed the tickets.
According to her, Priceline refused to book new flights to allow her to fly to Winnipeg or to compensate her. It was also impossible to take on new tickets with another airline because the costs had quadrupled, she said.
“It was a very special occasion,” Ms Polavaram said. “We all wanted to be there. We have everything planned. My mother came from India to be there.”
“It was a terrible experience,” she added. “And the way Priceline handled the situation only made things worse.”
Priceline was contacted by CP24 and did not respond to requests for a response.
For their part, Flair representatives emphasized the importance of booking flights directly with airlines. However, they offered Ms. Polavaram a travel credit for future trips.