The European Union cannot fight this for me, as the flight originated outside the EU.
The Canadian Transportation Agency cannot fight it because the flight originated outside of Canada.
"...I regret to inform you that as the economic regulator of the air transportation industry in Canada, the Canadian Transportation Agency only has the authority to deal with air travel complaints that pertain to travel originating to, from and within Canada. Although you and your travelling companion made a connection in Toronto, Canada, since your travel originated in San Francisco and your final destination was Morocco, the Agency does not have jurisdiction in this matter...
Sincerely,
Angela Gaetano
Air Travel Complaints Division"
The US Department of Transportation "noted the complaint."
Priceline has backed down. They stated that it is not their fault, there was enough connecting time, but that Air Canada will not give compensation and there is nothing they can do about it. So it is "He said, She said" as Air Canada and Priceline point fingers at each other.
"Thank you for taking the time to let us know if the difficulties you are having with Air Canada as a result of your recent Priceline.com purchase. We've completed a full internal investigation to ensure our systems did not commit an error as one of the Air Canada representatives you've been communicating with claimed... We've raised the claim of a Priceline error with Air Canada, pointing out that the same flight combination between Toronto and Marrakech remain an available option with Air Canada and British Airways for the same time period next year. We are confident there is nothing "illegal" or "invalid" with the tickets sold on our website. Regardless, we appealed to Air Canada on your behalf and asked that they reconsider their offer of compensation and reimburse you for the expenses incurred as a result of their flight delay and subsequent customer service issues. Unfortunately, Air Canada remains firm on their offer... Thank you for allowing us to assist you on this matter. Sincerely, Khloe T. The priceline.com Customer Service Team"
CapitalOne started the dispute process, but then the time limit ran out on them. They have nine months to file and claim. So I learned from this that I should have filed with them right after I was ignored the first time by Air Canada, then they would have had plenty of time to finish it.
Next time...
I am still waiting to see what Christopher Elliot will do.
While I wait for resolution, I would still appreciate it if you would contact Nick Careen by email (click his name) and tell them you read about this on my blog, and you are disappointed in the Air Canada customer service response.