One passenger rights expert says if your Air Canada flight has been cancelled, don’t accept a refund. “A refund can be one way for an airline to wash their hands of their obligation to rebook you on another flight,” said Gabor Lukacs, president of Air Passenger Rights.
Air Canada has begun cancelling flights ahead of a planned strike by roughly 10,000 flight attendants this weekend.
If you already have a ticket booked and paid for with Air Canada, then Lukacs says that the Canadian Transportation Agency’s regulations are clear: Air Canada is supposed to foot the bill for a new ticket on another airline.
In the event of a strike, which is classified as outside of an airlines control, large airlines such as Air Canada are still required to book customers a new “reservation for the next available flight that is operated by any carrier,” according to Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations.
“Any carrier means any airline, including, but not limited to, the airlines competitors,” said Lukacs, who adds that the airline must put you on the next available flight towards your final destination, no matter the cost.
“Customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund,” Air Canada said this week in a press release on their website.
Air Canada’s offer of a reimbursement could leave customers out of pocket hundreds, or even thousands of dollars. Lukacs believes the airline is trying to avoid having to rebook customers on a pricier flight with a competitor.
Oh man, if this strike lasts another week, it gets me out of going to 'murica for a wedding. AND I’d get my money back!
Fight for your rights flight attendants!
Air Canada, fight the good fight for profitability and affordable flights!
I believe in you!
A strike is a good excuse to stay out of the country for another few weeks
Sadly Air Canada wrote to let me know Air Canada Jazz (handling my flight) is unaffected.
So, I’m now rooting for the Jazz union folks to realize that workers’ stength comes from solidarity! Come on Jazz, stand up for your fellow flight attendants, you have nothing to lose but your chains!
So further down the article it says that customers can bill air Canada for a change in airline companies, if this means the person has to foot the bill in the beginning I just don’t see this being viable for many people and they will just take the money. If I’m understanding that correctly, just like any corporation, they will string people along for months before the people will be reimbursed.
Yeah, this is definitely the catch. If you can afford to do it this way, document every interaction the whole way along. Take screenshots of the prices of all the tickets going to your destination when you’re making your purchase,so they can’t argue they should be able to pay you less. They will definitely try to weasel out of it and will absolutely string you along so you will need to advocate for yourself.
They hope that will scare you off.
From a practical standpoint, I think you just go to the airport and make them do it all. Or by phone, or whatever.
