A few years ago Dr. Gabor Lukacs was a math professor at the University of Manitoba. It never became really clear whether he left on his own volition or was pushed with a settlement of some kind.
It seemed, at least, he was a thorn in the side of University management and out of step with some policies or other that has never come to light, presumably due to confidentiality agreements.
According to reports he stood up against the granting of a degree to a person who had not written the final exams on the basis of fairness to all. The back and forth of these discussions are not known.
Lukacs moved to Halifax where he apparently works as a freelance researcher.
Since moving to Halifax he has become the ultimate consumer advocate on aviation and a bigger thorn in the side of every airline than anyone could ever have imagined. Clearly at the top echelons of our Canadian carriers he would likely be viewed as the ultimate bum, because of a consistent record of winning appeals to the Canadian Transportation Agency.
And it can be argued that the reason New Leaf Airlines stopped selling tickets was because he protested that that New Leaf, because they were not an airline as required by legislation, with no aircraft of their own and no legal responsibility to protect consumers should the airline fail.
Please recognize that my understanding of these legislative items is dim at best and likely legally misstated but in the end New Leaf was forced to stop selling tickets and returned all the monies collected from would be passengers. I think it is fair to assume that the top brass at our own James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, and other city and provincial big-wigs, not to mention a whole lot of travellers looking for cheaper air fares view him as a bum.
But Lukacs is on smart fellow. Smart enough to have been judged as a math prodigy and was brought in from his home country, Hungary, to enroll in York University’s PhD program in Math just after he turned 16.
Even as he almost single handedly stopped New Leaf in his tracks he has gone after Air Canada for the umpteenth time for trying to seek confidentiality on what it does with and how it settles with stranded passengers.
He and a Col. Christopher Johnson allege that Air Canada is in contravention of the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that is accepted as Canadian law as well, and provides passengers dramatically greater protection than the maximum $100 per night and $32 dollar daily food limit.
Air Canada has been shortchanging stranded passengers for years by following internal policies instead of the Montreal Convention, Col. Christopher Johnson and Halifax-based air passenger rights advocate Dr. Gabor Lukacs allege in their joint complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). Lukacs has won a number of cases against the airlines and while choosing to done the Superman cape through an election of one, his dogged commitment to serving passengers is unparallel.
So for the time being he may not be appreciated for holding New Leaf ticket sales back, in the end we will all be protected better when the rules that are meant to protect, are followed.
hey guys, I need to get ahold of Gabor, any idea how I can do that?
thanks
Greg
Sorry but I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything form him in a long time. Try this email Gabor Lukacs Safe Journeys always…Ron Pradinuk
Hello, just wondering if you can help me retrieving my medication that i left on the air Canada in June. i did get in contact with them in regard to this matter by no success..
Thank you.
Vivianah.
Hi Vivianah:
I suspect the medication is long gone, but the lost and found department of the airlines do tend to keep found articles in house for some time before they ship them out to be sold or like medications destroy them. The do have a lost and found department you should contact if you have not. Ron
On Sept.52017 I flew from Windsor to Toronto to Dublin Ireland arriving on the 6th of Sept. for 21 days. My luggage wasn’t on the plane and I didn’t receive it till Friday around 5 pm in Cork where I was staying. However I was without my clothes etc. and was told I could spend $100. for what I needed to carry me over till I got it. I spent 139 euro dollars. When I got my suitcase it had been dropped and the frame was bent and the inside was smashed. When I returned to Windsor I showed the agent at Air Canada what my suitcase looked like. He filled in a claim and told me to bring the suitcase back empty. I did I had also asked him how I get reimbursed for the clothing I purchased he told me to download the Claim for expenses and send in to Air Canada with the original receipts. It was sent to the same address as my luggage went to. As of todays date I have not heard from them. When you call customer service you get someone in India can you help me. I received a new suitcase just waiting for the expenses claim. Can anyone help me. Also paid for a window seat $35. but got a wall instead. Was told well you have a view of a window the guys in front of me they offered me 10% off my next flight but I’d never fly with them again.
Sorry for my late reply Beverly. Have you received your compensation yet. AC is slow on things as it is a big bureaucracy and always take time on these. I am surprised they have not included the $35 for the wrong seat if you had the receipt and the boarding pass. Let me know the latest via pradinukr@shaw.ca I doubt I can help but I do like to keep up on these things and often do a story once I have a few other comments of a similar nature to make it enough to write about