Air Canada has heard you loud and clear, and they’re going to start making sure they have decent customer service reps on-hand to help you the next time your flight is canceled, delayed, or re-routed. And you’ll have to pay for it: “$25 one-way on short-haul flights and an extra $35 one-way on long-haul routes within North America.”

One airline consultant told the Toronto Star, “This is something that many airlines used to do in-house. But since the advent of the low-cost carrier, everybody wants cheap fares.”

If we’re going to have to pay extra for special training, we want our CSRs to be able to speak in different accents on demand. Or yodel. Something amusing while they help us.

“Air Canada to charge for customer service” [The Toronto Star] (Thanks to Ryan!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.