TheCanuckian

As you know, South African Airways has shut down all flights for the next two days because their employees are going on strike. I’m due to fly with them next week (YYZ - LHR on AC, then LHR - JNB on SA; for the return JNB - FRA on LH, then FRA - YYZ on AC). All flights are in business class and were booked via Air Canada (014). If the strike continues to the days I fly, or if SAA collapses altogether, I’d like some advice on handling it with Air Canada. I assume I could get a refund, but I’d much prefer to get the itinerary rebooked since I don’t intend to cancel my trip.

Would I just call them and let them tell me what other itineraries are available? I’m assuming they’d swap me to another available flight for no cost, even if there is a fare difference. Do these itineraries need to be the ones I can pull up via the AC site? Or would they consider something else if I suggested it, like perhaps Ethiopian via ADD?

Either way, what’s the best way of handling something like this? I'd like to be prepared in advance so I can be one of the first on the phone if and when it happens.

(If it makes a difference, I’m SuperElite with Air Canada.)

ridefar

Seems to me that if you wait til day of (or check in window) you could well be out of luck — at that point the ticket control goes to the operating carrier (SA) and that means, in theory, AC can’t fix it even if the operating carrier isn’t operating. . In practice it isn’t quite true if you are lucky and have a great concierge. But you have to be pretty lucky. If you want to change it you should probably try do so so in advance. You should have options if it is a paid ticket, including LH, LX (are they still flying to JNB?), and maybe even BA.

TheCanuckian

I will definitely change it in advance, if possible. But as of right now my dates aren't affected. If and when they announce the strike will continue until the day of my flight, or they announce SAA has collapsed, I'd like to know what my options are.

1A_1K

If I were a super elite, I'd have the concierge do the repro on other carriers. Give a call to super elite helpdesk and see what they can do.

pitz

No, that's not a good assumption to make.

Depends on what kind of J ticket you have. If its full-J, getting new flights shouldn't be a problem with the fare you paid. If it was discount-J, then all bets are off. When AC books a ticket for you on another carrier, they're doing so in agency, not as the principal, so its not AC's responsibility to get you a replacement flight at the fare originally paid. Especially if the fare on the failed carrier was deeply discounted and would not cover an available (at the time) fare on another carrier.

Best way of handling it -- call AC, but be prepared to open the wallet if it was a cheap fare because there might not be discount-J inventory available with other carriers. If such a scenario unfolds, you might want to be cognizant of the fare offerings on non-Star Alliance carriers as its probably unlikely that AC will attempt to sell you a (potentially cheaper) replacement ticket on EK, BA, (CX??), DL, etc.

edit: usually carriers that compete with a failed/struck carrier will publish a memorandum waiving the normal advanced purchase restrictions for those who exchange tickets on failed carriers for travel on their services. The problem, however, is inventory is often elusive for obvious reasons. So being stuck with an involuntary up-fare can be a very real problem.

TheCanuckian

That’s very helpful. Thank you. I’m on P class fares, so rather heavily discounted.

ridefar

I just want to point out that AC does sell BA metal on this route. So don’t rule them out the way you might, say, AF.

MSPeconomist

Start by checking possibilities (including any airline that interlines with AC, but AC will prefer to rebook you on partners if possible) and ranking them in order of preference. Then call a concierge and if they seem inclined to rebook you at this time, be ready with specifics of the new flight numbers (and times, dates, etc.) that you want.

Adam Smith

Please do not post inaccurate information like this.

AC's obligations in the event of a schedule irregularity such as a flight cancellation are spelled out under the tariff. The tariff doesn't say that AC will only re-book in the original fare class or any of that nonsense. It says (paraphrasing) that the customer is entitled to be transported in the class of service they've paid for, or a refund if AC can't find a satisfactory way to re-route the passenger. Nor is it correct to say that AC is an agent of another carrier. OP purchased a fare published by AC on an AC ticket. AC was acting as principal in this transaction, relying on a sub-contractor to fulfill a portion of their obligation, but AC doesn't get to just wash its hands of all this or blame a lack of P space for not finding an alternative.

AC is generally quite good at re-routing on OAL metal in the event of IRROPs and, as has been pointed out above, AC will even sell BA metal on through fares on a regular basis, in addition to SA and LH. And fare class never been an issue for me. I've had P fares re-booked in to another airline in C, for instance. And I was able to get an itinerary re-booked on DL a few months ago when the MAX fiasco first started to cause mayhem.

That being said, AC's obligations and goodwill are not limitless (e.g. if there are no seats available anywhere, there are no seats). AC will look to re-book first on AC metal (not really applicable here), then Star Alliance partners, then other interline partners, and at that point, they will probably give up. So, @TheCanuckian, you should expect AC to be most amenable to re-booking on LH or ET, even if, say, BA or KL is more convenient for you. But that doesn't mean that BA or KL (or AF, or EK, or another interline partner) isn't an option.

To answer your original question, OP, AC likely isn't going to do anything until your dates are affected. You could try phoning in and seeing if a reservations agent can tell you what they're doing for any customers who are already being affected, but it's uncertain exactly how much they'll be able to tell you. I wouldn't bother with concierge yet because their primary purpose is day-of-travel assistance, and you're still a few days out. MSPeconomist has provided the best advice, really, which is to start looking at options - use Google Flights, maybe do a free trial of ExpertFlyer if things are looking a little thin - and just have them ready for when something is announced impacting your dates.

But ignore the comments above about having your wallet ready and your discounted fare class. If LH has space in a D fare, for instance, you should not hesitate to ask AC to put you on that flight, nor should you expect to pay them anything for it, and I expect they would likely do it for you. The only context in which you should be prepared to pay is if you find a nice option on another airline for a reasonable price, and you choose to ask AC to give you a full refund rather than accept their re-booking, and then go buy your new ticket elsewhere. I expect that, this close in, that's unlikely to be a palatable option, but I don't know whether any of the ME3 might have last-minute deals or whatever.

TheCanuckian

That’s extremely helpful. Thanks for taking the time to write it out.

This trip is one I have been counting on to get me over the SuperElite AQM and AQD threshold. It will get me to around 110,000 miles for the year and $20,040. Is there anything I should be aware of there? Is there any chance they tamper with my AQD for the itinerary if I change it up?

pitz

No inaccurate information was posted. Non-AC segments on an AC ticket are sold with AC acting as agent, not principal. AC tariffs are not applicable as the service itself is not an AC flight, and AC only acts as a travel agent at best selling the segments on behalf of the operating carrier.


Nope. I don't have time to look it up CTA decisions, but just because AC sells the ticket on 014 stock, doesn't mean that AC is always doing so as principal. Unless it has an AC flight number, a failure to perform service is not AC's problem any more so than it is the problem of a (friendly neighbourhood) travel agent if whatever airline they've booked. The contract is between the operating carrier and the passenger, *not* between the passenger and AC. If the operating carrier fails to perform, AC is not responsible, and any courtesy that is granted by AC in terms of obtaining a fare that might not ordinarily be available for immediate purchase (ie: waiving advance purchase requirements, waiving inventory requirements) is entirely at the discretion of, and courtesy of AC to another airline's customer.


This isn't IRROPs.

AC can and does sell on every carrier they interline with as their agent, but don't be surprised if their natural inclination isn't to, especially to a destination that is served by their marketing alliance partners. A replacement DL ticket might be less expensive than a full-J cobbled together with the remaining European/ME carriers and AC -- AC's policy is to maximize the use of AC metal.

Due to the IRROPs of financially solvent and actually operating carriers. Not the systemic financial or labour relations failure of another carrier.

Subject to AC inventory constraints and policies. As this is *not* an IRROPs situation if another airline fails. Its a matter of a ticket on a now non-existent carrier being null and void, and recognition of the credit card companies/financial guarantors of the defunct airline guaranteeing the passenger against financial failure of the operating carrier to the extent of the price of the ticket.

Of course, if AC can provide re-accommodation within the financial resources implied by the financially guaranteed ticket, they will do so. But they are under no obligation. Its *not* IRROPs. Operators on the verge of going out of business tend to all sorts of crazy stuff to raise cash -- it would be a nightmare if their agency partners were "obligated" to honour such arrangements merely because they sold such arrangements in agency.

edit: the theory that AC is not responsible for the actions of the operating carriers as agent has been upheld in CTA decisions relating to gross fare errors, in which the operating carriers have cancelled ridiculously and unduly cheap J/F travel booked through AC. The passengers being instructed to seek legal redress/damages directly against the operating carrier for cancelling the tickets, not AC acting in agency. (of course the tariffs of the operating carrier may either allow for such cancellation, or may require that such matters be only litigated in an overseas venue that would be unduly expensive and probably unduly favourable to the operating carrier's argument of a fare error).

edit: being SE100k with a good AQD (ie: >$50k) balance (not just being a 12X a year low-margin el-cheapo int'l flyer) might imply a better chance of having such a case escalated to a manager who could authorize some goodwill if there is an involuntary re-fare involved on the inventory available with the remaining operating carriers.

ecc

Ahem...from reading these, and my own personal experiences with multiple schedule changes/cancellations, OP should be able to be rebooked no problem - before check in, and as soon as AC see the flight as cancelled in their GDS. If the GDS doesn't show the flight as cancelled, they won't do anything. Here are ACs policies re schedule changes and IRROPS. Literally took me 1 query with DuckDuckGo.

https://www.aircanada.com/content/da...nge_policy.pdf

https://www.aircanada.com/content/da...Operations.pdf

expert7700

since OP wants AQD and AQM, don't touch anything or try to get a free reroute to a different set of flihts or other carrier.

Wait for the cancel and forced reroute--mid trip or at a connecting point if needed.

MSPeconomist

.....and then request original routing credit (ORC) after the trip.

pitz

SA ceasing to operate flights is neither IRROPS nor a schedule change. The cited policies are not applicable.

Was your specific experience with a carrier that ceased to operate, and either refused to, or was unable to accommodate its ticketed passengers?

Of course the concept that they might just do a pre-arranged bankruptcy and continue to operate on a 'debtor-in-possession' basis (much like AC did when it went bankrupt) may very well mean that there is no disruption to the firm's honouring of existing tickets or even flight schedule, in which the OP travels "business as usual" on the ticketed flights (or any flights that may be substituted if legitimate IRROPs exists). A change in the flight schedule would not entitle the OP, on a discounted fare, to rebooking on a non-SA airline for that segment. A change to the schedule may entitle the OP to a refund (on an otherwise nonrefundable reservation) that could be applied against services on another carrier, but with the potential of fare recalculation that may be unfavourable. And as I suggested, the potential requirement for an additional payment to be made unless the travel agent (AC) decided to make up the difference as a measure of goodwill.