Last March, Air Canada's chief information officer Mel Crocker told the Globe and Mail that the airline had launched the chatbot as an AI "experiment." AdvertisementĪir Canada did not respond to Ars' request to confirm whether the chatbot is still part of the airline's online support offerings.
When Ars visited Air Canada's website on Friday, there appeared to be no chatbot support available, suggesting that Air Canada has disabled the chatbot. Air Canada’s chatbot appears to be disabled In the end, Rivers ruled that Moffatt was entitled to a partial refund of $650.88 in Canadian dollars (CAD) off the original fare (about $482 USD), which was $1,640.36 CAD (about $1,216 USD), as well as additional damages to cover interest on the airfare and Moffatt's tribunal fees.Īir Canada told Ars it will comply with the ruling and considers the matter closed. "It does not explain why it believes that is the case" or "why the webpage titled 'Bereavement travel' was inherently more trustworthy than its chatbot."įurther, Rivers found that Moffatt had "no reason" to believe that one part of Air Canada's website would be accurate and another would not.Īir Canada "does not explain why customers should have to double-check information found in one part of its website on another part of its website," Rivers wrote. "Air Canada argues it cannot be held liable for information provided by one of its agents, servants, or representatives-including a chatbot," Rivers wrote. Tribunal member Christopher Rivers, who decided the case in favor of Moffatt, called Air Canada's defense "remarkable." Unhappy with this resolution, Moffatt refused the coupon and filed a small claims complaint in Canada's Civil Resolution Tribunal.Īccording to Air Canada, Moffatt never should have trusted the chatbot and the airline should not be liable for the chatbot's misleading information because Air Canada essentially argued that "the chatbot is a separate legal entity that is responsible for its own actions," a court order said.Įxperts told the Vancouver Sun that Moffatt's case appeared to be the first time a Canadian company tried to argue that it wasn't liable for information provided by its chatbot. Instead of a refund, the best Air Canada would do was to promise to update the chatbot and offer Moffatt a $200 coupon to use on a future flight. If you need to travel immediately or have already travelled and would like to submit your ticket for a reduced bereavement rate, kindly do so within 90 days of the date your ticket was issued by completing our Ticket Refund Application form.Īir Canada argued that because the chatbot response elsewhere linked to a page with the actual bereavement travel policy, Moffatt should have known bereavement rates could not be requested retroactively. Moffatt tried for months to convince Air Canada that a refund was owed, sharing a screenshot from the chatbot that clearly claimed: Moffatt dutifully attempted to follow the chatbot's advice and request a refund but was shocked that the request was rejected. In reality, Air Canada's policy explicitly stated that the airline will not provide refunds for bereavement travel after the flight is booked. The chatbot provided inaccurate information, encouraging Moffatt to book a flight immediately and then request a refund within 90 days. Unsure of how Air Canada's bereavement rates worked, Moffatt asked Air Canada's chatbot to explain. On the day Jake Moffatt's grandmother died, Moffat immediately visited Air Canada's website to book a flight from Vancouver to Toronto. Alvin Man | iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus reader comments 262Īfter months of resisting, Air Canada was forced to give a partial refund to a grieving passenger who was misled by an airline chatbot inaccurately explaining the airline's bereavement travel policy.