Dec 10, 2020, 7:55 pm
Last edit by: Adam Smith
As of April 13, 2021 (in conjunction with the federal government bailout), AC is providing refunds for flights cancelled due to COVID, which applies to tickets with travel after February 1, 2020, and purchased before April 13, 2021. This includes flights cancelled by customers rather than AC.
Going forward (i.e. tickets purchased on or after April 13, 2021), cancelled flights will be refunded if AC does not offer a re-booking option with departure +/- 3 hours from the original time.
AC refund portal
Online refund request form
Press release on the bailout
Going forward (i.e. tickets purchased on or after April 13, 2021), cancelled flights will be refunded if AC does not offer a re-booking option with departure +/- 3 hours from the original time.
AC refund portal
Online refund request form
Press release on the bailout
Master thread Air Canada Refunds vs credits; Class action lawsuit filed
Apr 22, 2021, 4:05 pm
#1531
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: 44,331
Apr 22, 2021, 4:52 pm
#1532
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: YYZ/YHM/BUF
Programs: AA Plat, HH Gold, MR Plat
Posts: 4,212
Apr 22, 2021, 6:56 pm
#1533
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SYR
Posts: 17
Kudos for keeping this thread alive and well.
I requested to convert a e voucher to refund. My flight was for April 2020 with ticket purchased Sept. 2019.
Any know if I am low or high priority?
Thanks.
I requested to convert a e voucher to refund. My flight was for April 2020 with ticket purchased Sept. 2019.
Any know if I am low or high priority?
Thanks.
Apr 23, 2021, 9:08 am
#1534
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Vancouver, BC
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Hertz Gold
Posts: 1,289
When were your original flight dates? I submitted a form on Tuesday morning for a voucher for flights in December 2020 and for an AC cancelled itinerary for April 2021. I've received nothing to date, I can't even check the status until a week has gone by. They say they're prioritizing refunds by flight dates.
April 19: Received cancellation email for the AC cancelled itinerary. Checked my voucher value and it was zeroed out, no email from AC on this.
April 23: Received refund for the AC cancelled itinerary, back dated to June 2020 when I bought the ticket. TD doesn't show the refund in the app because of the back date, can only see it online. Still waiting for voucher refund.
Apr 25, 2021, 3:58 pm
#1535
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SYR
Posts: 17
Thank you for that information guessaaa .
On this page: one can check the status of their refund (Kind of generically). I did put my case number in and the automated bot told me the same thing as written in the blue shaded text box on the webpage.So not that useful overall except that at least it did recognize my case #.
So probably got to wait a few more weeks to get refunded. Not sure if they are refunding from early date to later dates or vice versa?
On this page: one can check the status of their refund (Kind of generically). I did put my case number in and the automated bot told me the same thing as written in the blue shaded text box on the webpage.So not that useful overall except that at least it did recognize my case #.
So probably got to wait a few more weeks to get refunded. Not sure if they are refunding from early date to later dates or vice versa?
Apr 26, 2021, 10:05 am
#1536
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Vancouver, BC
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Hertz Gold
Posts: 1,289
April 13: Submitted a forms for AC cancelled itinerary and voucher.
April 19: Received cancellation email for the AC cancelled itinerary. Checked my voucher value and it was zeroed out, no email from AC on this.
April 23: Received refund for the AC cancelled itinerary, back dated to June 2020 when I bought the ticket. TD doesn't show the refund in the app because of the back date, can only see it online. Still waiting for voucher refund.
April 19: Received cancellation email for the AC cancelled itinerary. Checked my voucher value and it was zeroed out, no email from AC on this.
April 23: Received refund for the AC cancelled itinerary, back dated to June 2020 when I bought the ticket. TD doesn't show the refund in the app because of the back date, can only see it online. Still waiting for voucher refund.
Apr 26, 2021, 11:52 am
#1537
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: DL, UA, AA, VS
Posts: 5,226
I booked a fare on an AC ticket but through Priceline for last summer.
Now PL gave me 2 years to use the credit but it must be on AC. They said AC actually has the money and they would have to approve a refund.
When I go to the AC site and put in the reference number, it says I booked through 3rd-party and they can't see the booking details on 3rd-party systems so I would have to go to them for refund.
PL says no refunds, have until August 2022 to book. Then if I rebook by then and AC cancels the flight, then I would be eligible for refund.
I have no problem rebooking to use this credit, though flying out of SFO, it's a drag to have to fly through YYZ or YUL on a A220. My original tickets, the SFO-YYZ/YUL portion had lie flats.
But I guess I will have to deal with it. I originally booked AC last year because of UA's crappy PQP scheme, which actually netted you more PQPs for flying AC than UA.
But the thing I'm finding is that many of the flights which show up on Google Flights or on AC don't actually appear on PL, at least at the offered price.
Now PL gave me 2 years to use the credit but it must be on AC. They said AC actually has the money and they would have to approve a refund.
When I go to the AC site and put in the reference number, it says I booked through 3rd-party and they can't see the booking details on 3rd-party systems so I would have to go to them for refund.
PL says no refunds, have until August 2022 to book. Then if I rebook by then and AC cancels the flight, then I would be eligible for refund.
I have no problem rebooking to use this credit, though flying out of SFO, it's a drag to have to fly through YYZ or YUL on a A220. My original tickets, the SFO-YYZ/YUL portion had lie flats.
But I guess I will have to deal with it. I originally booked AC last year because of UA's crappy PQP scheme, which actually netted you more PQPs for flying AC than UA.
But the thing I'm finding is that many of the flights which show up on Google Flights or on AC don't actually appear on PL, at least at the offered price.
Apr 26, 2021, 12:09 pm
#1538
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: YYZ, NYC
Programs: Marriott Gold, JGC, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, AC 25K
Posts: 1,025
Apr 26, 2021, 12:15 pm
#1539
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: MCO, YEG
Posts: 1,182
I booked a fare on an AC ticket but through Priceline for last summer.
Now PL gave me 2 years to use the credit but it must be on AC. They said AC actually has the money and they would have to approve a refund.
When I go to the AC site and put in the reference number, it says I booked through 3rd-party and they can't see the booking details on 3rd-party systems so I would have to go to them for refund.
PL says no refunds, have until August 2022 to book. Then if I rebook by then and AC cancels the flight, then I would be eligible for refund.
I have no problem rebooking to use this credit, though flying out of SFO, it's a drag to have to fly through YYZ or YUL on a A220. My original tickets, the SFO-YYZ/YUL portion had lie flats.
But I guess I will have to deal with it. I originally booked AC last year because of UA's crappy PQP scheme, which actually netted you more PQPs for flying AC than UA.
But the thing I'm finding is that many of the flights which show up on Google Flights or on AC don't actually appear on PL, at least at the offered price.
Now PL gave me 2 years to use the credit but it must be on AC. They said AC actually has the money and they would have to approve a refund.
When I go to the AC site and put in the reference number, it says I booked through 3rd-party and they can't see the booking details on 3rd-party systems so I would have to go to them for refund.
PL says no refunds, have until August 2022 to book. Then if I rebook by then and AC cancels the flight, then I would be eligible for refund.
I have no problem rebooking to use this credit, though flying out of SFO, it's a drag to have to fly through YYZ or YUL on a A220. My original tickets, the SFO-YYZ/YUL portion had lie flats.
But I guess I will have to deal with it. I originally booked AC last year because of UA's crappy PQP scheme, which actually netted you more PQPs for flying AC than UA.
But the thing I'm finding is that many of the flights which show up on Google Flights or on AC don't actually appear on PL, at least at the offered price.
Apr 26, 2021, 12:44 pm
#1540
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: DL, UA, AA, VS
Posts: 5,226
Don't know if it will help you, but I had the same situation with another online TA and had a credit from last March that had to be used in the next two years. I called the online TA (in your case, Priceline) since the change of policy and advised them that AC was now providing refunds and they contacted AC while I was still on the line with them and were able to get the refund set up within half an hour and it was processed within two days.
Thanks I may try again but I talked to two of them and the second one claimed to be checking. I couldn't understand her that well but I thought what she told me is that I can rebook and then if AC cancels, they would approve of a refund then.
Apr 27, 2021, 1:08 am
#1541
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,969
Thank you for that information guessaaa .
On this page: one can check the status of their refund (Kind of generically). I did put my case number in and the automated bot told me the same thing as written in the blue shaded text box on the webpage.So not that useful overall except that at least it did recognize my case #.
So probably got to wait a few more weeks to get refunded. Not sure if they are refunding from early date to later dates or vice versa?
On this page: one can check the status of their refund (Kind of generically). I did put my case number in and the automated bot told me the same thing as written in the blue shaded text box on the webpage.So not that useful overall except that at least it did recognize my case #.
So probably got to wait a few more weeks to get refunded. Not sure if they are refunding from early date to later dates or vice versa?
A friend of mine had a ticket on AC for last summer. The TA in Taiwan told them it will take 4-6 months for the refund (previously, they negotiated to a transferable voucher for 5 years).
Apr 27, 2021, 2:22 am
#1542
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: 44,331
It's said Feb 16 the entire time, and I know people who go the refund for flights well after that. No luck for my November booking though.
Apr 27, 2021, 7:30 am
#1543
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DTW
Programs: Alaska, Delta, Southwest
Posts: 1,663
So this is a surprise... I got an unsolicited email from AC Customer Care noting their refund policy update and offering to expedite my refund in exchange for withdrawing my DOT complaint. I've already been refunded through a credit card chargeback, so the expedited processing doesn't really have any value. I'm concerned if I withdraw my DOT complaint, then it'll effectively be stricken from the record - considering they retroactively changed their policy and breached their own tariff as of the time of my purchase, and they had no intention of making their customers whole until receiving a government bailout, I'm not sure I want this barrage of complaints effectively removed from their statistics as if nothing happened - they serve as a caution to future customers.
Any thoughts on how to respond?
Any thoughts on how to respond?
Apr 27, 2021, 8:26 am
#1544
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: 16,774
Now that AC is doing refunds, I've updated the wiki to reflect that and include links to the key pages.
Maybe @yyznomad can make it look fancier, but it's at least more useful now, hopefully.
Maybe @yyznomad can make it look fancier, but it's at least more useful now, hopefully.
Apr 27, 2021, 8:37 am
#1545
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Rockies
Programs: UA Platinum, HHonors Diamond, Bonvoy occasionally Bonvoyed Mostly
Posts: 428
Maybe one of these days, i'll have to block out some time and do the "call dance" with them