The Air Canada strike is a topic that generates a lot of questions, and that’s quite normal. That’s exactly why we made that guide with all the information! But you had questions that weren’t explicitly answered there (or for which the answer wasn’t clear enough). So I answered them, and I’m grouping them here for you.
First of all, if you’ve read our content, which we go to some trouble to create to help you, it sincerely brings me enormous pleasure to answer you! If the answer to your question isn’t in the content or even if it’s not clear (it happens!), ask it on the Facebook post and I’ll answer it! That’s what gets us excited, it’s our mission: to help you travel.
However, if you don’t bother to read, it’s honestly really the complete opposite. The only effort we ask if you want help is to at least read the posts that include precisely all the information. After, if the answer to your question isn’t there or isn’t clear, we’ll answer, of course! If you don’t even try to read, we prefer to prioritize helping those who do.
Here are the answers to 18 questions that weren’t in the guide on the Air Canada strike or weren’t clear enough.
Your rights (7 questions)
What happens if they don’t offer me a seat on another airline?
They are legally REQUIRED to pay for a seat, according to the timeline explained. However, they’re already trying to fool those who don’t know their rights (like all airlines do, to be clear). They say there’s no seat available. By default, if you find any seat at any price on your own, that’s irrefutable proof that they are contravening their legal obligation.
They cannot impose the refund option on you, but they’ll try. The regulation is clear: you have the choice between being completely refunded in cash OR continuing your trip for free on another airline.
That was obviously in the guide, but I wanted to clarify that just because they say the contrary… doesn’t mean it’s true. The rest of the details are in the article on your rights.
What happens if I accept a refund?
If you accept the refund, Air Canada owes you nothing more in terms of continuing your trip. Simple.
You renounce all your rights to be rebooked on another airline, and you must pay for another flight out of your own pocket, if that’s what you want. It’s one OR the other.
What does “return to point of origin” mean?
It’s just if you’ve already left and a flight cancellation makes your trip no longer valid. THEN you have the right to a refund AND to a free return to your point of origin.
For example, let’s say you’re doing Toronto-Montreal-Casablanca. If once you get to Montreal, the Montreal-Casablanca flight is cancelled and you no longer want to go there, you have the right to a complete refund AND a return to your point of origin for free. If you’re already in Casablanca, you have the right to a refund for the return flight OR a free return on another airline, but obviously not both.
What happens to the inbound flight if the outbound is cancelled?
If you choose the refund, you have the right to a complete refund of the entire itinerary.
If you choose to continue your trip on another airline, make sure you confirm your inbound flight is still valid (missing any segment always cancels the rest of the itinerary, so they need to fix that). And you can also try to change your return for later if you want to stay longer to compensate for the travel time lost at the beginning (this isn’t as explicitly guaranteed, but the airline should accommodate you).
What happens if part of my itinerary is operated by another airline?
You have the same rights: get a complete refund (and be brought back for free to your point of origin if you no longer want to travel and are already at the transit point on the outbound) or continue on another airline for the cancelled part. But they might cancel the whole ticket; check!
It’s either the airline that sold you the ticket or the one that cancelled your flight that must help you. It depends, unfortunately (on whether the itinerary has started or not, especially).
Do I really have the right to 600 EUR per person when departing from Europe?
Yes, if your flight DEPARTING from Europe is cancelled, you have the right to the simple EU 261 monetary compensation explained in the article on your rights.
On European airlines, the regulation applies in both directions, but not on Canadian airlines.
Why is it better to wait for the flight to be cancelled rather than to take their offer to get a refund right away?
If YOU cancel your flight, you have no rights. Air Canada is offering you a travel credit out of generosity, but they obviously aren’t required to do anything if it’s you who cancels.
If AIR CANADA cancels your flight, you have the right to a complete refund in cash.
Logistics (6 questions)
What are the steps to assert my rights?
Contact Air Canada as soon as your flight is cancelled. Either by phone or at the airport. Be patient.
Insist by citing the mentioned law. Document everything, as mentioned. The rest of the details are in the article on your rights.
How long will it take to find another seat?
Obviously, it can take a few days. But they are required to find you one within 48 hours! If you want to avoid having to pay yourself and get reimbursed, you can try to give them a little more time.
You understand that with 100,000+ passengers affected per day, and flights almost full on all other airlines because it’s summer, there isn’t enough room for everyone. In any case, certainly not without making a simple connection that incredibly seems to scare many people very much.
What happens if they refuse to find me another seat?
As explained, they are legally required within 48 hours, no matter the price. If they refuse, you must document this well. If you can’t reach them, you also need to document your good faith efforts to do so.
Concretely, you’ll have to pay for a seat yourself and then fight to get reimbursed. It’ll be slow and might require some effort, but you’ll win if you’ve followed the tips. I’m not a lawyer and no content on this site is ever legal advice as mentioned in the guide to your rights, but the law is clear.
There’s unfortunately no other way if they refuse their legal obligation. The incompetent federal government has been complicit in letting all airlines disobey the law for years, with absolutely no consequences whatsoever. So airlines do this to discourage many from taking the financial risk of having to pay for the other flight upfront.
What happens if I booked on a third-party site?
The positive thing is that you’ll certainly now know the most basic thing we’ve been repeating for years: always book flights directly on the airline’s website (unless there’s an important price difference; it happens, but it’s rare).
You have the same rights as if you had booked on the airline’s site, but now you have to go through the third-party site to do everything. Maybe it will go well. Maybe it won’t…
How much advance notice will be given for flight cancellations?
Very little, due to the nature of the situation. A few hours, or maybe a day maximum.
It’s normal, even if it’s very unpleasant: the federal government can intervene at any time to end the strike (and Air Canada is counting on that a lot), and the strike can also be cancelled at any time thanks to an agreement. They don’t want to cancel flights that don’t absolutely need to be canceled!
Will my flight be cancelled?
It’s impossible to predict with certainty.
The best we can do is give you the approximate risk according to the date. And that’s what we did in the article.
Credit card insurance (5 questions)
Do I have free insurance?
If you’ve used one of the simplest and most basic tips that exist, yes.
If you simply paid for your flight with a good credit card, you have free insurance!
Do insurance policies cover strikes?
For FLIGHT DELAY insurance, most cards cover strikes, yes (as we had explained). For TRIP CANCELLATION/INTERRUPTION insurance, strikes are often not covered.
Most people always mix up all types of insurance, unfortunately. You’ll get free hotels and meals during the delay (up to 500 CAD or 1000 CAD) if your card covers strikes for flight delay insurance, but trip cancellation/interruption insurance might not work. But it might.
Check! All cards are different, because they’re different cards!
How do I know what my insurance covers?
As always, you simply have to READ your insurance certificate that came with the card or that you can easily find by Googling “(card name) insurance certificate”.
Never trust employees who almost never know what they’re talking about, regardless of the company and regardless of the subject. Always READ the certificate, which is binding, has legal value, and is 100% reliable.
How do I make an insurance claim?
It’s super simple. I’m now at over a dozen claims, just with flight delay insurance. Read the details in your insurance certificate. All cards are different!
Essentially, you almost always just have to document the delay well (email, or photo of the flight info screen that says “cancelled”), keep your original boarding pass and the new one (screenshots of digital passes work), and keep receipts for your expenses. Some cards require contacting the insurer immediately (it’s often quick) and/or paying the incurred expenses with the card in question (it’ll be written in your certificate).
What happens to my insurance coverage if I paid with points?
If you paid with Aeroplan points, you have the same free insurance if you paid the taxes on an Aeroplan credit card.
If you also paid the taxes with Aeroplan points, you learned an important and basic lesson: you should never do that. First, because it gives terrible value, which is a very sad waste of points that have the highest value. But also, you lose all your insurance coverage.
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Summary
Our guide on the Air Canada strike contains lots of information. However, there were many topics not explicitly covered or not clear, so I’ve grouped the questions and answers here for you. If you have others that aren’t already answered, ask them in the comments of the Facebook post so other travelers can see the answer too!
What would you like to know about the Air Canada strike? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Air Canada plane (photo credit: Michael)
