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
Mar 15, 2020, 7:11 pm
#736
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: 16,779
For those holding off on making changes to bookings, waiting for mass cancellations and assuming you'll be able to refund penalty free at that point, consider that airlines may not actually issue the refund you'd normally be entitled to in an effort to preserve cash. One major international carrier has already done this and we're just getting started.
Mar 15, 2020, 7:12 pm
#737
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 25
I'm in Lima right now and was scheduled to only fly home on April 17th. With the announcements from the Canadian government and Peru talking about issuing a mandatory national quarantine, similar to Italy and Spain, I'm coming home early. The process was not easy and please please please, if you are thinking of coming home, do it now before it gets worse. As a fair warning, my original flight was booked with UA and taking an AC segment and it was a hassle getting it changed via UA. The girl was fantastic and dealt with my million different route questions.
I couldn't get on the LIM -> YYZ flight at all. Like no dice. Forget trying to get into the US and then to YUL (my hometown) direct. This was the route I need to take in order to get home:
This was the best we could do in order to get me home sooner than later and this was over an HOUR of trying to match segments together that had room. As I noted earlier on, my original flight on AC from IAH - YUL was already pushed back because they cancelled the original flight I was on. Things are getting much harder to get home and flights are filling up fast. Don't try and wait it out, just go home now.
I couldn't get on the LIM -> YYZ flight at all. Like no dice. Forget trying to get into the US and then to YUL (my hometown) direct. This was the route I need to take in order to get home:
- LIM - PTY leaving March 16th at 1:03am
- PTY - IAH leaving at 4:47am ish
- Overnight stop in IAH (better than going to ORD and spending overnight in the airport)
- IAH - IAD on March 17th leaving at 7:45am
- IAD - YUL leaving at 5:05pm
This was the best we could do in order to get me home sooner than later and this was over an HOUR of trying to match segments together that had room. As I noted earlier on, my original flight on AC from IAH - YUL was already pushed back because they cancelled the original flight I was on. Things are getting much harder to get home and flights are filling up fast. Don't try and wait it out, just go home now.
Mar 15, 2020, 7:19 pm
#738
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
United, see here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ch-2020-a.html
Basically, some things that would have ordinarily made a restricted ticket eligible for full refund aren't eligible for a refund at all anymore, and even those that still are eligible will not be refunded in cash for at least 1 year.
I don't want to derail this thread by discussing too much of another airline's behaviour, but just be aware that you can no longer assume that normal policies will apply.
Basically, some things that would have ordinarily made a restricted ticket eligible for full refund aren't eligible for a refund at all anymore, and even those that still are eligible will not be refunded in cash for at least 1 year.
I don't want to derail this thread by discussing too much of another airline's behaviour, but just be aware that you can no longer assume that normal policies will apply.
Mar 16, 2020, 6:39 am
#740
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: YOW
Programs: AC*SEMM, *G, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 898
New aircraft cleaning process now in place. Plane desinfected with pretty strong stuff after each flight. Need to wait roughly 10 minutes after cleaners are out before being able to board to "air" the aircraft... and this is on a small DH3...
Mar 16, 2020, 7:25 am
#741
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: *G^2, Bonvoyed, NEXUS
Posts: 3,516
I wonder how much of this extra cleaning (err... just cleaning in general) will persist after this situation is over. I really hope it does.
Mar 16, 2020, 8:20 am
#742
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
A couple of AC's *A European partners have suspended operations. It may or may not matter, depending on whether people on AC tickets still need to get out of Europe.
AC seems to have updated their page since yesterday.
AC seems to have updated their page since yesterday.
Mar 16, 2020, 8:26 am
#743
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 302
Phone lines are pretty jammed, but they'd be less so if the online methods were able to handle the basics. An upcoming European booking I had finally changed but when I tried to cancel online it tried to charge me a fee. I called in, waited an hour (only!) and got a full refund instead.
Mar 16, 2020, 8:51 am
#744
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I'm From Here
Programs: AC*SE & MM/*Wood Gold/HHonors Diamond/Marriott Silver/AirMiles Gold
Posts: 4,567
Despite this I encourage air travel, where essentially necessary, as we must NOT forget keeping AC going, at least in limited form, is crucial in these times so that life-safety goods can move quickly and health-care workers can go to where they might be needed if hot spots emerge that need additional resources.
I will hope that AC will be around at the end of this but booking a flight which could help spread the virus and risk people and front line workers is just plane wrong.
Mar 16, 2020, 9:09 am
#746
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Aeroplan, Mileage Plus, WestJet Gold, AMEX Plat
Posts: 2,026
Can you please provide an authoritative source that demands this today?
Air Canada continues to sell tickets and fly airplanes - if your statement was true then entire fleet should be grounded NOW - right?
and how would this be possible if AC stopped entirely.
Globe & Mail today "The federal government issued an advisory urging Canadians travelling overseas to come home as soon as possible, cautioning that “new restrictions may be imposed with little warning.”
Air Canada continues to sell tickets and fly airplanes - if your statement was true then entire fleet should be grounded NOW - right?
and how would this be possible if AC stopped entirely.
Globe & Mail today "The federal government issued an advisory urging Canadians travelling overseas to come home as soon as possible, cautioning that “new restrictions may be imposed with little warning.”
Mar 16, 2020, 9:10 am
#747
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: YQB / YOW
Programs: AE / MR
Posts: 55
Might be too soon to tell, but does this new policy allow older tickets to be extended to December 31, 2020? I don't see the "one year after issue" verbiage that I see on some of the US airlines. I have a grandfathered 3-stop trip that was booked in August and I might need to push it out.
Mar 16, 2020, 9:12 am
#748
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 302
Can you please provide an authoritative source that demands this today?
Air Canada continues to sell tickets and fly airplanes - if your statement was true then entire fleet should be grounded NOW - right?
and how would this be possible if AC stopped entirely.
Globe & Mail today "The federal government issued an advisory urging Canadians travelling overseas to come home as soon as possible, cautioning that “new restrictions may be imposed with little warning.”
Air Canada continues to sell tickets and fly airplanes - if your statement was true then entire fleet should be grounded NOW - right?
and how would this be possible if AC stopped entirely.
Globe & Mail today "The federal government issued an advisory urging Canadians travelling overseas to come home as soon as possible, cautioning that “new restrictions may be imposed with little warning.”
We have seen entire countries, over and over, go from banning travel from certain cities, then all international, then closing public places, then borders, then lockdowns. All of them have essentially progressed this way. Do you want to be caught across the country, without your family or home, unable to get back when domestic travel is finally restricted? Travel if you will, but you're taking a risk. And you're also risking becoming another vector of transmission to the next cluster of cases and the next hospital that is overloaded where people will inevitably die. Get home.
We are not special. We all need to do our part, now.
Mar 16, 2020, 9:15 am
#749
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Respectfully, this is the wrong attitude. We must NOT travel. We must literally stay at home and do nothing.
I will hope that AC will be around at the end of this but booking a flight which could help spread the virus and risk people and front line workers is just plane wrong.
I will hope that AC will be around at the end of this but booking a flight which could help spread the virus and risk people and front line workers is just plane wrong.
I really don't want this thread to get sidetracked with debate on whether anyone should or should not fly AC, internationally, to the U.S. or domestically. And regardless of how you interpret the messages in the media and from the government (neither of which have been clear), you cannot encourage people who DON'T HAVE TO FLY, to go out and buy tickets on AC to keep them in business.
AC has cash on hand, they will do as all other airlines have done recently and park aircraft, redeploy aircraft and reduce staff.
There have already been posts from the likes of the Alberta government with a recent list of AC flights on which there were infected pax and/or crew.
Do not sound the call for everyone to do their civic duty and go fly AC just to support the company or the staff. You don't know which pax or FAs might have the virus from their travels and there is no need to add to the workload.
I.M.H.O.