MQS007

I have just had a flight cancelled (Economy Flex) and the FAQ says my only option is a credit good for 24 months. I have used these credits before and you have to use all of it or lose the difference. I understand AC wanting to hold onto cash but I want my money back.

Adam Smith

It wasn't announced, that was the terms of the AC tariff for many years.

AC did announce yesterday, and as of this morning the website confirms, that flights cancelled on or after March 19 will get a 24-month travel credit rather than a refund. But that implies that for a flight cancelled prior to today, a refund should still be available.

You would therefore appear to still be eligible. Sadly, the website often doesn't work properly for many things. So you may be stuck phoning in.

Stranger

So, did they change the tariifs, and was that approved by the CTA?

BTW, this is what most airlines are trying to get away with:

https://www.flightglobal.com/airline...137404.article

Which in a way is understandable, if they are going to bleed cash. OTOH, a contract is a contract, and it's not the customers who should be cashing in to support them. I do find the IATA position somewhat offensive.

Adam Smith

The tariff was changed months ago as APPR came in, but removed much of the clarity around customers' rights when schedule changes were made in advance (whereas APPR is intended primarily to address issues that occur day of travel). I feel like a frigging broken record saying this over and over again. Go read rule 80 of the current tariff and see how clear it is around your rights if AC, let's say, makes a major schedule change two months out from your flight. It's clear as mud.

Therefore, as I've said before, it's not clear that offering a 24-month credit is against the terms of the tariff. The old tariff (going back >6 months or whatever it was), you were clearly entitled to a refund if your flight was cancelled.

The most offensive thing to me about this is that AC is continuing with the nonsense of a credit being associated with a particular ticket. So if you have two credits, you'll need to book two separate flights to use them. And if the flight you book is less expensive, you'll forfeit the difference.

WS is also pushing things to credits instead of refunds, but at least they have their "travel bank" concept, which is just like cash. If you cancel one flight for $500, you can later use that to book a $300 flight and still have $200 left over for another flight. Likewise, if you cancel 2x $500 flights, you can use that whole $1000 as a credit towards a $1200 ticket. Much more flexible than AC's system.

MaxFlying

Just looked at one of my bookings. Rather interesting in what it shows in green to be refunded, and then what it says by the actual cancel button!
Edit - of course I figured it out. It is showing 11 due to the e-ups! I am assuming it would all be fine. Actually impressed the upgraded flight didn't stop the cancellation.

YEG USER

I've gone and read Rule 80. I agree it is clear as mud.

80.A(2) mentions that AC not liable for cancellations due to force majeure. International tickets affected by border closures could certainly fall into that category, but it isn't clear if a refund is due (although I'm only reading the domestic tarrif, so there could be differences).

80.B(2)a) in the case of a schedule irregularity (defined elsewhere as delay or cancellation), if it is under AC's control the passenger should be entitled to a refund under Rule 100. So again, clear as mud.

I've got a bunch of bookings where AC has cancelled my domestic flight and put me on another flight. IMHO the cancellations of the flights are within AC's control, as there are no domestic travel restrictions, AC is simply canceling flights to better manage their costs/capacity, but the APP says cancellation is due to COVID-19, so they're claiming the force majeure.

I also don't like that the credit is associated with a particular ticket, but there could be 1 upside in my situation. My tickets were booked with 15% discount codes. In theory, since the credit will be tied to the specific booking, I should be able to carry that discount forward if/when I rebook.

beep88

I have flight to Japan next month.

On AC website, cancel with full credit or $200 for refund. Same refund fee as fare rule. It is also showing the flights are still as scheduled.

Can I ask AMEX for full chargeback? Not that AMEX phone line is easy to get through,

There is also flight cancellation insurance as ticket was purchased with AMEX.

But of course I can still wait a bit.

canadiancow

???

Your flights are still operating, and they won't give you a free refund, so you want to do a chargeback? Huh?

beep88

The flights are cancelled. They are not bookable on AC. They are not shown on itasoftware.

But they still say my flights are as scheduled when I retrieve the booking. YYZ - HND in APRIL!

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/....html#/pacific
"Toronto - Haneda Tokyo Temporary suspension from March 28 until April 30"

canadiancow

Just wait for your PNR to be updated. I had a flight that's been cancelled for at least a few days, but the PNR didn't indicate it until about an hour ago. Once the segment goes to UN, you're eligible for a refund.

beep88

Ok thanks!

Another observation:

I played around with it a bit. Ticket was booked with a 15% coupon code. It allows me to rebook within the coupon "valid for travel until" date and still applies the discount.

It doesn't allow rebooking to beyond that date.

Admiral Ackbar

Apologies if I missed this, is there anywhere in our profile where we can see this credit? I can't find anywhere that mentions it, I obviously have an email confirming it but was curious.

Admiral Ackbar

I would get whatever cash back they are offering and get Amex insurance to cover the difference, that is what I did last week after the advisory was issued.

Adam Smith

Yes, this is how it works with discount codes

If you phone in, they should be able to book beyond the validity of the discount code, although the discount code will be lost.

Nope. You'll have to keep track of it.

beep88

My PNR updated with the YYZ <-> HND flights as cancelled.

The cancel option still has $200 cancellation fee as per fare rule.