Jan 27, 2020, 3:42 pm
Last edit by: Adam Smith
Key points of AC COVID change/cancellation policy [as of December 10, 2021]:
(see this page under "Changes and cancellations")
Unlimited changes. No change fees. – Until December 31, 2021, if you want to change your flight, we'll waive the change fee. After December 31, 2021, you can make one change at no extra charge. If your new fare has a higher price, you only need to pay the difference from your original fare.
If Air Canada changes the time of your flight, you make a change for free.*
*Within 3 days for North American destinations and 7 days for international and sun destinations.
If your flight is cancelled, you get a refund – If your flight is cancelled for any reason and we don’t rebook you on another flight that departs or arrives within three hours of your original departure or arrival time, or if we add a connection to your itinerary, you can request a refund.
Need to cancel? Save the value for future travel – If you need to cancel a booking, the full value can be transferred to an Air Canada Travel Voucher, which never expires and is fully transferrable, or converted into Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus. Refundable tickets are always refundable.
Flexibility with Aeroplan bookings – Until December 31, 2021, if you want to change your Aeroplan flight reward, we'll waive all change fees. After December 31, 2021, you can still make one change without a fee.
(see this page under "Changes and cancellations")
Unlimited changes. No change fees. – Until December 31, 2021, if you want to change your flight, we'll waive the change fee. After December 31, 2021, you can make one change at no extra charge. If your new fare has a higher price, you only need to pay the difference from your original fare.
If Air Canada changes the time of your flight, you make a change for free.*
*Within 3 days for North American destinations and 7 days for international and sun destinations.
If your flight is cancelled, you get a refund – If your flight is cancelled for any reason and we don’t rebook you on another flight that departs or arrives within three hours of your original departure or arrival time, or if we add a connection to your itinerary, you can request a refund.
Need to cancel? Save the value for future travel – If you need to cancel a booking, the full value can be transferred to an Air Canada Travel Voucher, which never expires and is fully transferrable, or converted into Aeroplan points with a 65% bonus. Refundable tickets are always refundable.
Flexibility with Aeroplan bookings – Until December 31, 2021, if you want to change your Aeroplan flight reward, we'll waive all change fees. After December 31, 2021, you can still make one change without a fee.
Master thread COVID-19/Coronavirus; travel waivers, route changes, AC impacts
May 26, 2020, 3:45 pm
#1741
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,743
AC has changed the page on suspensions. Now they're only showing the places they plan to serve in the next couple of months, with no indication as to what will happen after that. So, for instance, YYC-LHR is just gone. So is YVR-TPE. Same with YYZ-MXP and so on.
Very annoying.
Very annoying.
May 26, 2020, 4:37 pm
#1742
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: USA
Programs: AC SE100K, F9 100k, NK Gold, UA *S, Hyatt Glob, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 5,187
On a side note, a friend just mentioned that starting June 2, AC247 is an A320 with a domestic J seat. 39 mile flight YVR-YYJ. Unsure if he will find it worth the extra cost for J or the difference for an Aeroplan redemption.
May 26, 2020, 4:52 pm
#1743
Join Date: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,124
AC is still being very optimistic about their international schedule for July, especially for Europe. Even if the borders do open up a bit, we will likely still need to self-isolate for 14 days in both directions, which means that very few people will be travelling.
May 26, 2020, 4:56 pm
#1744
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,302
Scenario 2 is spoken like a true Flyertalker: dear family I *would* visit but my widebody pod became a domestic J seat.
On a side note, a friend just mentioned that starting June 2, AC247 is an A320 with a domestic J seat. 39 mile flight YVR-YYJ. Unsure if he will find it worth the extra cost for J or the difference for an Aeroplan redemption.
On a side note, a friend just mentioned that starting June 2, AC247 is an A320 with a domestic J seat. 39 mile flight YVR-YYJ. Unsure if he will find it worth the extra cost for J or the difference for an Aeroplan redemption.
May 26, 2020, 6:18 pm
#1745
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,459
It's more like, my value calculation was that this was worth 25,000 miles for the 787 pod. Then it went to 767 and I was like...okay, the A column seats are still fine. But when it goes to A320 now I would rather have just paid cash because I'm not skipping the signature service tariff with miles now, but now it's too late because the prices have gone up, and UA is cheaper on that route for domestic J anyway, but UA isn't flying it right now...sorry family see you for labor day maybe. So actually, yes it is exactly what you wrote there.
May 26, 2020, 6:32 pm
#1746
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: YVR
Programs: SE 100K
Posts: 934
AC has changed the page on suspensions. Now they're only showing the places they plan to serve in the next couple of months, with no indication as to what will happen after that. So, for instance, YYC-LHR is just gone. So is YVR-TPE. Same with YYZ-MXP and so on.
Very annoying.
Very annoying.
To be fair, how can they know or predict?
It's virtually impossible to route plan that far out in a pandemic.
The situation changes day by day and week by week everywhere.
May 26, 2020, 6:53 pm
#1747
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,743
We're all well aware of that.I'm not expecting exact guidance on when YYC-LHR is going to resume, for instance. But where AC has already made a definitive decision to cancel a seasonal service, e.g. YYZ-MXP, or suspend a service for quite a long time, e.g. TPE was previously mentioned to be gone until March 2021, that would be nice to know.
May 26, 2020, 7:07 pm
#1748
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 6,358
We're all well aware of that.I'm not expecting exact guidance on when YYC-LHR is going to resume, for instance. But where AC has already made a definitive decision to cancel a seasonal service, e.g. YYZ-MXP, or suspend a service for quite a long time, e.g. TPE was previously mentioned to be gone until March 2021, that would be nice to know.
YYC-LHR currently planned to restart on August 1, 5x weekly with a 77W. Daily from August 22.
May 26, 2020, 7:57 pm
#1749
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: YYJ
Posts: 4,137
Scenario 2 is spoken like a true Flyertalker: dear family I *would* visit but my widebody pod became a domestic J seat.
On a side note, a friend just mentioned that starting June 2, AC247 is an A320 with a domestic J seat. 39 mile flight YVR-YYJ. Unsure if he will find it worth the extra cost for J or the difference for an Aeroplan redemption.
On a side note, a friend just mentioned that starting June 2, AC247 is an A320 with a domestic J seat. 39 mile flight YVR-YYJ. Unsure if he will find it worth the extra cost for J or the difference for an Aeroplan redemption.
May 26, 2020, 9:36 pm
#1750
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AC SE100K 1MM, FB Platinum, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,602
We're all well aware of that.I'm not expecting exact guidance on when YYC-LHR is going to resume, for instance. But where AC has already made a definitive decision to cancel a seasonal service, e.g. YYZ-MXP, or suspend a service for quite a long time, e.g. TPE was previously mentioned to be gone until March 2021, that would be nice to know.
May 26, 2020, 9:46 pm
#1751
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 423
AC has changed the page on suspensions. Now they're only showing the places they plan to serve in the next couple of months, with no indication as to what will happen after that. So, for instance, YYC-LHR is just gone. So is YVR-TPE. Same with YYZ-MXP and so on.
Very annoying.
Very annoying.
May 26, 2020, 9:50 pm
#1752
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,743
I guess they can codeshare with UA, but I have my doubts on them actually operating too. WestJet will be happy to have the market to themselves.
May 26, 2020, 9:52 pm
#1753
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 302
May 27, 2020, 1:18 pm
#1754
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 423
Neither UA or WS has updated their July schedules, but based on what WS has scheduled in June it looks they plan to resume at least 3 TB routes from YYC (LAX, ATL & LAS).
May 27, 2020, 2:23 pm
#1755
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,302
So I was just thinking... historically AC promotions always require you book and fly within a given window, so that past bookings don't count.
I wonder if that might change in the current environment, since it would create an incentive to not cancel bookings (which is happening a lot right now).
I wonder if that might change in the current environment, since it would create an incentive to not cancel bookings (which is happening a lot right now).