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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Flight cancelled due to Air Canada strike? You may have more rights than you think
Social Sharing The Air Canada flight attendants strike disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers. As travellers scramble to rearrange their plans, many are seeking answers about their rights. They may be surprised to learn that passengers set to depart from most European countries have more protections than those booked on domestic flights. Here's what you need to know about your rights if your Air Canada travel plans have suddenly unravelled. You have a right to a rebooked flight Air Canada announced on Wednesday that passengers affected by flight cancellations who rebooked and paid for travel on other airlines can submit claims for reimbursement. Passengers who took another mode of transport home, such as a bus, can also submit claims. "We've adjusted our policy," said Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick. "We want to take care of the customers and we want to be sure that if they are stranded right now, they can get home." The adjusted policy aligns with Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). The regulations state that when an airline cancels flights due to a labour disruption, they must offer affected passengers a choice between a cash refund or a rebooked flight. "For better or for worse, you don't have to take the refund," says Ian Jack, spokesperson for the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), a non-profit travel agency. According to the APPR, if a large airline, such as Air Canada, can't rebook you on a partner airline within 48 hours after your original departure time, the carrier must attempt to rebook you on any airline — even a major competitor. If there's nothing available, the airline must search for alternative flights at another nearby airport, and provide transport to that airport. Airlines that don't comply face hefty fines. Earlier this year, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) hit Westjet with a $204,000 penalty for failing to rebook passengers whose flights were cancelled during a WestJet mechanics strike in 2024. During the Air Canada strike, some passengers may have found themselves stranded despite Air Canada's best efforts. That's because the carrier is the country's largest airline, and its flight attendants walked off the job during peak summer travel season. Consumer advocate Geoff White argues the lack of alternative flights for disrupted passengers highlights another problem: lack of competition in Canada's airline industry. "The reason why so many people are stranded right now is we don't have [enough] competition," said White, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. "This has to be the wake-up call." In June, Canada's Competition Bureau stated that the country's airline industry is highly concentrated with two major carriers — Air Canada and WestJet. It called for increased competition, and recommended relaxing rules that limit foreign ownership of Canadian airlines. Passengers flying from EU countries have more rights Under the current APPR, airlines are under no obligation to compensate passengers for their hotel and incidentals if they're delayed at their destination due to a strike. "Air Canada can choose, for goodwill purposes, to help you out with that, but there's no legal obligation," said Jack. Passengers also can't claim compensation for flight delays and cancellations; the APPR considers job actions beyond an airline's control. However, affected Air Canada passengers can claim compensation for both their added travel expenses and flight disruptions if their cancelled flight departed from the United Kingdom or European Union-member countries. That's because passengers departing from those countries are covered by EU air passenger rights which provide wider protections compared to the APPR. WATCH l Passengers' travel plan disrupted by Air Canada strike: Air Canada passengers in limbo as flight attendants' strike enters 3rd day 2 days ago Another day of uncertainty awaited Air Canada travellers on Monday after striking flight attendants defied a federal back-to-work order and delayed the airline's plans to restart operations. 'We haven't slept, we've been calling, we're tired,' said one frustrated passenger trying to fly to Portugal for her honeymoon. Similar to the APPR, EU rules dictate that when airines cancel flights, passengers are owed a refund or a rebooking. EU rules also state airlines can deny compensation for flight disruptions caused by a strike. However, they specify that this exemption only applies to disputes that don't involve the airline. A strike by an airline's own staff "does not release the airline from its obligation to pay compensation," the EU states online. Passengers can choose to file compensation claims under the APPR or EU regulations. Consequently, affected Air Canada passengers who qualify under EU rules can seek reimbursement for added expenses like hotels, plus compensation of up to €600 ($965 CAD). Passengers departing from the U.K. can claim up to £520 ($970 CAD). "In Europe, the view is a lot more consumer-friendly by saying, "No, no, the airline certainly could control how it interacts with its unions and the onus should be on the airline,'" said White. "We've got a long way to go here in Canada." Jack agrees. When it comes to air travel, "if something goes wrong in Europe, you're going to get treated better than you are in Canada," he said. Where are the new rules? More than two years ago, the federal government proposed changes to the APPR that, if they had been enacted by now, might have helped out many Air Canada passengers. The proposed changes, designed to strengthen the APPR, include a requirement for airlines to cover hotel costs and incidentals during any type of flight disruption — including those caused by labour disruptions. Jack says it's unfortunate the proposed rules remain in limbo as passengers grapple with the Air Canada strike. "Sadly, it's not going to help people in this current circumstance," he said. "People would be in a better position today had the government moved forward with these [rules]." The Canadian Transportation Agency told CBC News consultations for the proposed rules wrapped up in March, and that there's no timeline yet for when they will take effect. The agency did not directly answer questions about why it was taking so long to implement the new rules. Any passengers who believe Air Canada — or any other airline — didn't honour their rights can file a complaint with the CTA. However, they may be in for a long wait for resolution; in June, the federal regulator reported a backlog of more than 87,000 air passenger complaints.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Passengers scramble to rebook flights after Air Canada strike ends
Air Canada operations are set to resume but some frustrated passengers are still dealing with the cost of the strike. Anxious travelers rolled into Victoria International Airport in B.C. mere hours after the Air Canada strike ended Tuesday morning, some rebooking flights for days later than planned. Storm and Shota Nogami and their young infant are feeling the full brunt of the airline being grounded. Their flight home on Monday, from Victoria to Toronto following a wedding in Victoria, was cancelled. Air Canada rebooked them a flight, but it wouldn't return them home for another six days. The couple would have been responsible for paying for a hotel Monday night, and so came to the airport seeking an earlier flight. 'It's costly when it comes to accommodating ourselves in Victoria, but losing out on a week of work is a lot,' said Storm on Tuesday. Air Canada ultimately booked them on a flight home on Tuesday on a WestJet plane, via Vancouver. The couple both said they felt relieved by the turn of events. 'It's been an up-and-down rollercoaster, very emotional,' said Storm after receiving the good news. Gabor Lukacs, the founder of Air Passenger Rights, a non-profit organization that advocates for airline passengers, said Tuesday that Air Canada is required by law to book a customer on a competitor if their flight is cancelled due to the strike, and Air Canada doesn't the customer a new flight with them within 48 hours. This is the option Lukacs recommends over the other option of a refund. If passengers accept a refund, the airline won't have to pay a higher cost for that alternative, he says. 'Air Canada has been trying to con people, scam people, to believe that there are no other flights available, so a refund was their only option,' says Lukacs. The Nogami's aren't entitled to a reimbursement for the hotel cost either, he adds. Under Canadian law, for domestic flights, airlines don't owe expenses like hotel or meals following a strike. Lukacs calls this a shortcoming of Canadian law, especially when compared to other parts of the world. 'If the same thing happened in Europe, they would be owed meals accommodation,' he said.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Air Canada strike raises travel insurance concerns
Travellers continue to deal with the financial costs incurred during the flight attendant strike, some calling for more protection for customers in the future. Anytime a portion of your vacation is non-refundable it's wise to purchase insurance, according to industry specialists. 'This new world we live in now has so many factors – weather, government advisories, labour disruptions – they all add up, which we never used to see or incur,' says Travel Secure Inc. president Martin Firestone. ADVERTISEMENT Firestone says the recent Air Canada labour stoppage highlights the importance of cancellation insurance, which could be applied if you're unable to board your flight, or interruption insurance, meaning you're on your trip and need to get back. In the case of the Air Canada strike, 'cancellation insurance would cover costs you would have incurred for non-refundable portions of your trip, like a cruise or an Airbnb. Interruption insurance would cover the extra nights at a hotel and the one-way airfare back home,' Firestone said. It's a lesson thousands of Canadians whose vacations and flights were turned upside down are now learning. Speaking from a hotel room in Lisbon, Portugal, Karla Kumar said her family got more than they bargained for on their European vacation. The Toronto family of four arrived in Europe on Aug. 3, but their return flight this past Sunday was cancelled. Air Canada has repeatedly told the family it is unable to book them a return flight home on a different airline, they said. 'Rightly or wrongly, I didn't have travel insurance on those tickets,' Kumar said, adding that all Air Canada would offer her was a refund or a credit for a future flight. Travel insurance The Kumar family is shown in a provided image. Desperate to get home, Kumar did her due diligence and found a flight home Wednesday on Delta, and presented that as an option to Air Canada to book for her family, which the airline is supposed to agree to in accordance with Transportation Canada regulations. Air Canada refused to purchase the tickets for the Kumar family, they said. 'How has it gotten to the point where we just completely have no accountability for passenger rights in Canada?' questioned Kumar. The Kumars purchased three of their four tickets using their personal credit card, so they called their provider to see what type of insurance they might be entitled to. That's when the family learned the coverage on their card didn't include this specific labour stoppage. 'It had to do with the classification of how this sort of labour dispute came about,' Kumar said. 'It does change from card to card but at best, (each credit card) does have a maximum attached to it. So it might be $2,500 for trip cancellation and $1,500 for trip interruption. Needless to say, that's not going to be enough,' Firestone said. Air Canada strike The Kumar family is shown in a provided image. The Kumars said they felt they had all their boxes checked, and that it's Air Canada who was not acting in good faith. They admit, however, that if they were to book a cruise or prepay for a pricey all-inclusive trip that was non-refundable, they'd definitely consider travel insurance. Depending on where you're travelling in the world, local laws may offer you a level of protection as well. If you're a Canadian stranded in Europe by Air Canada, European passenger protection regulations mean that Air Canada has to pony up for the price of a new ticket, and cover any additional food and hotel expenses.
