A Toronto family due to travel to Winnipeg – their former home – lost their Canadian citizenship after a logistical error by online travel agency Priceline, which wrongly booked their flight tickets.
In an interview with CP24, Divya Polavaram booked the plane tickets weeks in advance for her mother and her two children, who will officially become Canadian citizens during the traditional citizenship oath.
After completing the entire process on Priceline’s website on October 3, she received a confirmation of the reservation of four tickets on the Flair flight, according to an email sent by the discount travel agency and obtained by the media.
When she wanted to check in online the day before her flight on October 16, she encountered a problem. She then contacted Priceline, who said Flair never confirmed the tickets.
According to her, Priceline refused to book new flights so she could fly to Winnipeg or compensate her. It was also impossible to get new tickets on another airline because the costs had quadrupled, she said.
MLA Polavaram said that this is a very special occasion. “We all wanted to be there. We planned everything. My mother flew from India to attend.
“It was a horrible experience,” she added. “And the way Praline handled the situation made it worse.”
Contacted by CP24, Priceline did not respond to requests for reaction.
For their part, Flair representatives reiterated the importance of booking flights directly with carriers. However, travel credit was provided to MLA Polavaram on future trips.
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