Note to Air Canada: Buy them a new bike!

I think this is rather sad... though more details would be helpful. Based on this story, it appears that this couple's $3,000+ bike, which they just used to complete a cross-country trip for charity, was wreaked while it was in the posession of Air Canada.

In my mind, that means they owe them a new bike.

Bicycle belonging to charity cyclists crushed during Air Canada flight
Published: Tuesday, September 4, 2007 | 9:25 AM ET
Canadian Press

PENTICTON, B.C. (CP) - A Penticton B.C. couple who cycled across Canada to raise money for charity have had a rather crushing homecoming.

Dr. David Cleveland and Stacey Butterfield raised $15,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation as they rode their tandem bicycle from B.C. to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

They wrapped up their journey in August and caught an Air Canada flight back to B.C. on Saturday - only to find their faithful tandem bike didn't survive the return trip.

Stacey Butterfield says the bike was crushed during the flight.

She says Air Canada will not replace the bike, which has a frame valued at three thousand dollars.

Butterfield says instead of riding triumphantly back to Penticton, she and Cleveland had to rent a van and drive home.

BOOOOO! Again, more details would be helpful, but on the surface, it looks like Air Canada didn't do a good job of securing the cargo. If that's the case, the right thing to do would be to fess up, and compensate them for their loss.

(of course, perhaps they didn't have an appropriate travel case for it or something like that, in which case, if Air Canada advised them against transporting it that way and made them sign a waiver for it, they're off the hook... but again, more deatils would be helpful)