It turns out not all Canadians are as progressive as they're made out to be! Air Canada is still stuck in the 1950s when it comes to women keeping their last names after they get married, and is feeling a huge Twitter backlash over it.
Last night Calgary-based writer Chris Turner blasted the airline on Twitter after an Air Canada phone rep told him he couldn't transfer a voucher to his wife because she kept her last name when they got married. Air Canada responded by saying "vouchers can only be transferred to another family member before travel if they have the same family name" to prevent fraudulent activity when using vouchers.
Well, isn't that quaint. Turner's tweet pissed off women and men alike and made the news in Canada. Here are just some of the responses:
@AirCanada Yup, got it. Maybe let your bosses know that those of us who are not married to June Cleaver find this deeply insulting.
— Chris Turner (@theturner) December 30, 2013
@AirCanada @theturner An archaic policy that suggests women must be subordinate to their husbands & take their name? #equality
— Sarah Boon (@SnowHydro) December 30, 2013
Sorry to eavesdrop @AirCanada @theturner, but that's a terrible policy. Name change traditions vary widely: Quebec, same-sex marriage...
— oceans initiative (@oceansresearch) December 30, 2013
@AirCanada @theturner In Iceland, they use patronymic/matronymic names - so everyone has a different last name. No AirCanada joy for Nordics
— Mikael (@copenhagenize) December 30, 2013
One would think that Air Canada would have a better, more sophisticated way to prevent voucher fraud (is that really such a widespread thing anyway?) on their flights than this. This policy makes them look rather foolish.
No word yet on whether or not Air Canada intends to change the policy.
Air Canada Refuses To Transfer Voucher To Wife Who Kept Her Name