Air Canada dispute could dash trip of a lifetime to Scotland, Ontario woman says

CBC

4 days ago

Two Ontario women set to embark on their first overseas trip together worry a labour dispute at Air Canada could ruin their chance to make special memories.
Barbara Langer, of Lindsay, Ont., is planning to fly to Edinburgh in Scotland on Aug. 21 with her childhood friend, Gail Royer, of Ottawa. The two have been friends for 65 years, having met as children in Quebec City. Royer has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's.
Langer said she scheduled the trip for this year so that Royer could experience Scotland before her memory starts to falter.
"I was worried that if we wait too late that she won't have any memory of it. And it was important to me that we go there while she still has fairly full control over her memory and her experiences," Langer told CBC Toronto on Wednesday.
"That's why it's not something that we can say, 'Oh well, we'll do it again next year.'"
Both women are booked on Air Canada flights to Scotland and back. The nine-day trip has been in the works for a year, they say.
"This is something that we've both been looking forward to for such a long time now," Langer added. "We don't have a backup plan other than just to cry on each other's shoulders and say: 'Oh well, I guess it was a good dream while it lasted.'"
Langer said the flight to Edinburgh has not been cancelled yet, but Air Canada has said it will begin cancelling flights on Thursday ahead of a potential strike that could see more than 10,000 flight attendants walk off the job this weekend.
Neither woman has travel insurance that covers trip cancellations and interruptions. And rebooking might be impossible unless they can secure new accommodation, although they say they would still go if it's a couple of days later, Langer said.
"I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my legs and my arms. Everything's crossed," she added.
Disruption to affect 130,000 customers a day, airline says
Air Canada said there would be a gradual suspension of flights, with more cancellations on Friday before a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend, to allow for an orderly shutdown. About 130,000 customers a day could be affected by a disruption, the airline said.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) gave the carrier a requisite 72-hour strike notice overnight after the two sides reached an "impasse" in negotiations on Tuesday.
Air Canada flight attendants can walk off the job as early as Saturday at 12:58 a.m. ET.
CUPE representatives said that in response to their strike action, Air Canada issued a notice of lockout to start at 1:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. Air Canada confirmed the lockout on Wednesday.
Passengers have options, Air Canada says
On its website, Air Canada says its customers have options: they can get a full refund, seek alternative travel options with the help of the airline or rebook.
The airline says passengers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund. They are urged to go to www.aircanada.com or through the Air Canada mobile app.
It added it has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide alternative travel options where possible.
"Customers will be notified of alternative travel options that are identified for them. However, given other carriers are already very full due to the summer travel peak, securing such capacity will take time and, in many cases, will not be immediately possible," Air Canada said.
The airline says it has also implemented a "flexible rebooking policy" for all customers, allowing them to change or defer travel at no additional cost.
"Air Canada will in all cases inform passengers of their rights under applicable rules if their flight is cancelled or delayed and meet its regulatory obligations," the airline said.
Travel agents says shutdown to be disruptive
Shalene Dudley, owner and CEO of Latitude Concierge Travels Limited, which specializes in customized travel, said passengers do have options.
"If you're travelling in between the 15th to 18th, you can move your date and they will give you a $50 instant credit. You can get a future travel credit that's valid for one year. And the other option is if you're in a destination, which some people are, you can do a move with no change fee."
She added a possible shutdown of Air Canada operations will have a major impact on the travel industry.
Barry Shecter, a travel specialist with Direct Travel's downtown Toronto office, said a possible shutdown would be disruptive and stressful for customers.
"You kind of have to go with the flow. You can try and make alternative plans," Shecter said.
Ideally, though, customers would have already purchased travel insurance covering cancellations and interruptions when they bought their flights, the travel agents said.
Insurance would prevent the domino effect of having to cancel accommodations or connecting tickets, they added.