Air Canada pays compensation to passenger misled by chatbot

Air Canada has been forced to pay compensation to a passenger after the airline's own chatbot used "misleading words" in a conversation about the cost of tickets in case of their loss. According to court documents, the misunderstanding was caused by a new feature on the airline's website.

The AI chatbot feature of the Canadian national carrier mistakenly directed a passenger to book a ticket based on a false assumption of a refund. On the airline's website, the chatbot advised passenger Jake Moffatt to book a ticket to/from Toronto (YYZ) and then claim a refund for the lost ticket. This was reported by simpleflying.com.

Moffatt, a resident of British Columbia, followed the chatbot's instructions and received a message that he would be reimbursed a certain amount for his lost trip. Looking ahead, Air Canada operates flights to several destinations in British Columbia. The airline is currently using a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to Vancouver (YVR) for daily flights for 257 to 685 Canadian dollars one way in 2024.

When Moffatt contacted Air Canada after the flight in 2022 to receive bereavement compensation, he was told of a different policy. At the time, the airline said that the actions of the chatbot belonged to the chatbot, and Air Canada had its policy. The carrier itself now states that passengers can ask about the cost of a ticket in case of its loss by phone. Air Canada added that it is not responsible for flights that have already taken place.

Moffat sued the airline for the difference in fares. Moffat won the case, demanding payment from the airline. Simple Flying was unable to access the airline's chatbot.

Aviation chatbots

Airlines, like many other companies, started using chatbots after they became popular. Etihad was the latest airline to implement this technology, which uses artificial intelligence platforms to help passengers with the booking process. Air India and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) are also using AI to help passengers with their travel and booking needs.

Other national carriers, such as British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and GOL Airlines, are also using the technology. AI is also becoming a topic of discussion in the air cargo industry.

Despite the recent turmoil at Air Canada, the use of AI in the aviation industry is expected to grow. In 2024, passengers can expect to see an increase in the use of AI platforms for customer service.

Flight management

In addition to chatbot functions, airlines also offer potential savings from AI in various other flight management processes. JetBlue claims to be able to use AI for weather forecasting, which will save the company $4 million. Lufthansa Technik, for its part, uses an AI-based system to predict maintenance needs.

Other platforms, such as the AI-powered intelligent strobe, have been used by American Airlines, which uses this tool to reduce waiting times. The airline demonstrates extremely high performance during holiday travel in the United States.

AI is also used by various private jet operators. Jet has developed programs that help calculate carbon offsets for general aviation flights.

Earlier, TravelWise wrote that last year was a landmark for aviation security.