[video_popup width="805" height="454" video_link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgDizh4DMno" video_image_link="https://www.tnooz.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/air-canada-bag.jpg"]
The United Breaks Guitars saga is probably the nightmare scenario for any airline in these days of instant feedback via social media.
Highlighted in almost every reputation management presentation in travel since it was created in 2009, a passenger was so incensed about his treatment by United Airlines over damaged luggage that he wrote a song about it and posted it to the YouTube.
Five years later the clip has amassed some 14 million views on YouTube.
Sadly for Air Canada a similar video has emerged which has already attracted a tenth of that total in just five days.
A passenger on-board an Air Canada flight from Toronto Pearson Airport recorded a handler dropping luggage from the terminal bridge to an area close to a colleague some 20 feet below.
Whilst the incident might trigger some degree of shoulder-shrugging from industry folk who sympathise with busy luggage handlers, Air Canada is still working hard to try and diffuse the situation.
The airline posted a comment on the video on YouTube:
"We would like to apologize for the totally unacceptable mishandling of our passengers' baggage captured on video. The employees involved have been advised that their employment will be terminated pending the outcome of our investigation. Their actions clearly contravened our standard baggage handling procedures which require gate-checked bags to be hand carried to the ramp.
"We take matters involving the protection of our customers' personal possessions very seriously. The actions of these individuals are not representative of the vast majority of our employees who work hard every day to take care of our customers."
Here is the clip:
NB: Air Canada has yet to respond to further requests for comment about the incident.