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 6, 2020, 4:41 pm
#1576
Join Date: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,125
I wouldn't believe anything that's showing in the schedule for June or later, bookable or not, unless it's also flying right now. Otherwise, you risk giving AC your money and getting a flight credit in return should they decide to cancel the flight.
YYZ-TLV is not flying right now. Who knows, it could be by June, or maybe not.
YYZ-TLV is not flying right now. Who knows, it could be by June, or maybe not.
May 6, 2020, 4:59 pm
#1577
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: AB BA Waterloo Mama Mia
Posts: 1,147
Hard to tell whether airlines are leaving bookings available to generate cashflow. I understand the uncertainties, but the flying public is asked to piece together the puzzle in order to arrive at an educated guess. It would be helpful if the airlines gave additional guidance other than the generic response we have come to accept in regards whether flights will in fact take place and secondly, some guidance on pricing. No one wants to wait until there is complete certainty whether a flight will occur and then be subject to exorbitant fares. I guess however that is the risk. Perhaps the devil I know (BA) is better than the other devil I do not (AC). Prefer not to have to deal with AC over a credit or voucher or whatever the form will take. The challenge is when Israel allows entry without testing or isolation and Canada does not as the plane may be full one way but not the other as Israelis will not want to isolate for 14 days of their trip. Again..piecing together the puzzle.
May 6, 2020, 5:15 pm
#1578
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 6,360
Hard to tell whether airlines are leaving bookings available to generate cashflow. I understand the uncertainties, but the flying public is asked to piece together the puzzle in order to arrive at an educated guess. It would be helpful if the airlines gave additional guidance other than the generic response we have come to accept in regards whether flights will in fact take place and secondly, some guidance on pricing. No one wants to wait until there is complete certainty whether a flight will occur and then be subject to exorbitant fares. I guess however that is the risk. Perhaps the devil I know (BA) is better than the other devil I do not (AC). Prefer not to have to deal with AC over a credit or voucher or whatever the form will take. The challenge is when Israel allows entry without testing or isolation and Canada does not as the plane may be full one way but not the other as Israelis will not want to isolate for 14 days of their trip. Again..piecing together the puzzle.
This is a situation never experienced before, so I think some leeway is warranted. It's up to you to take the risk - what's more important: locking in a fare, or booking when there is greater certainty on schedules?
May 6, 2020, 6:08 pm
#1579
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: 16,765
Hard to tell whether airlines are leaving bookings available to generate cashflow. I understand the uncertainties, but the flying public is asked to piece together the puzzle in order to arrive at an educated guess. It would be helpful if the airlines gave additional guidance other than the generic response we have come to accept in regards whether flights will in fact take place and secondly, some guidance on pricing. No one wants to wait until there is complete certainty whether a flight will occur and then be subject to exorbitant fares. I guess however that is the risk. Perhaps the devil I know (BA) is better than the other devil I do not (AC). Prefer not to have to deal with AC over a credit or voucher or whatever the form will take. The challenge is when Israel allows entry without testing or isolation and Canada does not as the plane may be full one way but not the other as Israelis will not want to isolate for 14 days of their trip. Again..piecing together the puzzle.
May 6, 2020, 6:39 pm
#1580
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Aeroplan, Mileage Plus, WestJet Gold, AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,026
Looks like Air Canada is struggling to following its own procedures. for controlling the Virus. While at the same time their staff don't want photos taken.
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/col...box=1588804682
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/col...box=1588804682
May 6, 2020, 9:37 pm
#1581
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 8,001
AC did offer this guidance in it's earnings report earlier this week..............
"Air Canada has reduced second quarter 2020 capacity by 85 to 90 per cent when compared to 2019’s second quarter. Third quarter 2020 capacity is expected to be reduced by approximately 75 per cent when compared to the third quarter of 2019. The airline will continue to dynamically adjust capacity and take other measures as required to account for health warnings, travel restrictions, border closures globally and passenger demand."
I don't imagine YYZ-TLV would be a high enough priority to be some of the 10% of flying it's doing in Q2.
There may be a gap at the end of Q3, between covid and flu seasons, where there is some profitable demand to operate to TLV.
"Air Canada has reduced second quarter 2020 capacity by 85 to 90 per cent when compared to 2019’s second quarter. Third quarter 2020 capacity is expected to be reduced by approximately 75 per cent when compared to the third quarter of 2019. The airline will continue to dynamically adjust capacity and take other measures as required to account for health warnings, travel restrictions, border closures globally and passenger demand."
I don't imagine YYZ-TLV would be a high enough priority to be some of the 10% of flying it's doing in Q2.
There may be a gap at the end of Q3, between covid and flu seasons, where there is some profitable demand to operate to TLV.
May 6, 2020, 10:12 pm
#1582
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Canada
Programs: Marriott Plat; Air Canada E75K; Westjet Platinum
Posts: 1,161
I can see why they want to hold onto cash from tickets paid for before the pandemic. But moving forward - how do they win back confidence from consumers? How do they get us to open our wallets again? AC desperately want to encourage future bookings but they are taking any incentive away and in fact discourage future bookings by not making refunds when they change their schedules or cancel the flights. Would anyone knowingly book a ticket now to travel in 2 months knowing they won't get their money back if AC cancel the flights? Now even credit card insurance won't cover you. I would argue a customer friendly refund policy is the best way to win back confidence and encourage future bookings.
May 7, 2020, 4:36 am
#1583
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Toronto - YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan/Hilton Gold/Marriott Bonvoy Titanium/Accor/Hyatt Gold Passport
Posts: 5,899
Confession ...I am a BA frequent flyer but with the uncertainty of those flights I am looking at option B which is TLV to YYZ. The AC site suggests that there are bookable mid to end of June flights but would appreciate further comments from those with more AC knowledge than I may glean from research.
May 7, 2020, 5:39 am
#1584
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Canada
Posts: 81
May 7, 2020, 3:36 pm
#1585
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 324
May 7, 2020, 4:10 pm
#1586
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: 16,765
It often takes a while for what's announced on that page to flow through to the actual schedule. Eventually your flight will show as cancelled. If you really need or want to re-book now, you may be able to phone in and do it, but probably easiest just to wait.
May 7, 2020, 5:44 pm
#1587
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: USA
Programs: AC SE100K, F9 100k, NK Gold, UA *S, Hyatt Glob, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 5,192
There is still one more small oversight-LAS is listed as not set to operate from any AC city until June30/July6,, yet AC is still selling seats and rebooking people like us onto June flights to LAS.
May 7, 2020, 6:00 pm
#1589
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 221
me and Air Canada on twitter
Montreal to Providenciales is scheduled to start again on June 6, as there is currently a temporary suspension until June 6. /Frank
Sorry for the confusion, the flights will be suspended. / Émile
then 25 min later
At this time, the flight is confirmed to operate as scheduled. If you are looking to make a change to your booking, we invite you to communicate with our Contact Centre at 1-888-247-2262. We understand that many of our customer’s travel plans have been disrupted. As these are exceptional circumstances, we do continue to monitor the fast-changing situation and all updates will be posted here as soon as they become available wihttps://bit.ly/2VdLXtl .
then 25 min later
Hello again Jonathan, I said it was suspended because that's what I had on my screen. Sometimes, the website takes time to update and sync with its different versions. If you see it differently on our website, then you may follow it. Now do you want to push the date or keep the ticket as a credit? /Frank
Montreal to Providenciales is scheduled to start again on June 6, as there is currently a temporary suspension until June 6. /Frank
Sorry for the confusion, the flights will be suspended. / Émile
then 25 min later
At this time, the flight is confirmed to operate as scheduled. If you are looking to make a change to your booking, we invite you to communicate with our Contact Centre at 1-888-247-2262. We understand that many of our customer’s travel plans have been disrupted. As these are exceptional circumstances, we do continue to monitor the fast-changing situation and all updates will be posted here as soon as they become available wihttps://bit.ly/2VdLXtl .
then 25 min later
Hello again Jonathan, I said it was suspended because that's what I had on my screen. Sometimes, the website takes time to update and sync with its different versions. If you see it differently on our website, then you may follow it. Now do you want to push the date or keep the ticket as a credit? /Frank
May 7, 2020, 8:14 pm
#1590
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Toronto
Programs: BA Exec Club - Demoted to Bronze and re-promoted to Silver alongside AC Elite 50K (gold) in 2022
Posts: 393
I'd like some advice please - or at least the options i have. My partner and I are due to fly to London at the end of July to intern my mother's ashes. We booked in February for 5 nights or so in Economy on a flex fare. I realise that the stars have to line up so both Canada and the UK don't have a ban in place. Also, given it was a short trip, quarantine may be in place in the UK AND on our return, it makes the trip unviable. I can't recall what T&Cs that AC may have had in at the time for peace of mind if any.
When do I cancel if I need to, how much does it cost and I assume it's a credit note
thanks in advance
When do I cancel if I need to, how much does it cost and I assume it's a credit note
thanks in advance