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As operations ramp up following last week’s labor disruption, Air Canada announced today an expanded goodwill policy that will provide additional support and reimbursements for customers impacted by cancelled or delayed flights between August 15th and 23rd. The airline now expects to operate nearly its full network schedule by tomorrow, August 22nd.
Special Travel Expense Policy
In a move beyond its legal obligations, Air Canada will reimburse customers for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to the strike. Eligible costs include:
- Hotel stays
- Meals
- Ground transportation
- Other reasonable expenses
To qualify, customers must submit receipts through the airline’s Customer Relations portal. Due to expected high volumes, processing may take four to six weeks (so be patient if you are eligible).
The new expense policy builds on the flexible rebooking measures Air Canada introduced earlier this week. Customers whose flights were cancelled between August 15th and 23rd and who arranged their own travel because Air Canada was unable to rebook them may claim reimbursement for those costs.
Eligible scenarios include:
- Customers who received an Air Canada notice stating the airline was unable to rebook them or were only offered flight options departing more than five days later than their original booking.
- Customers who purchased tickets on another carrier in the same or lower cabin as their original flight.
- Customers who secured alternative transport by bus, ferry, or car between their original origin and destination.
Air Canada specifies that expenses will only be covered for the most reasonable and economical options that ensured customers reached their destinations as quickly as possible. The airline has been gradually rebuilding its schedule since reaching a mediated settlement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). With aircraft and crew repositioned, Air Canada expects to return to near-full operations by August 22nd (though some delays and cancellations may still occur). Customers can find complete details on both the travel expense reimbursement policy and the flexible rebooking policy at www.aircanada.com/action.
Mark Nasr, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Air Canada, said:
Air Canada’s 40,000 coworkers, with their exceptional commitment and expertise, have allowed us to restore operations ahead of plan. We now expect to be operating very close to our normal schedule tomorrow. We deeply apologize to all customers whose travel plans were disrupted, and we’re committed to making things right for all customers — particularly those who were stranded during their trip. Earlier this week, we put in place a special commitment to reimburse out-of-pocket transportation costs, including on other airlines, rail, ground or ferries. Today, we are taking another step forward, delivering with our policies to make things right. This updated plan includes reimbursement for reasonable accommodation, meals, necessary transportation and other costs.”
Anthony’s Take: This is the right thing for Air Canada to do and nice to see that they are working to make it up to impacted travelers.
(Image Credits: Air Canada.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
