They may only being offering 97 flights compared to 220 options last year but Air Canada says it says it will resume service to the U.S. on May 22nd. In addition within Canada the schedule will increase from 34 routes to 58 in June with more coming on line in July and August. The company also expects a resumption of service to the U.S., Caribbean, South American, European and Pacific markets. International services will also operate from major hubs like Vancouver and Toronto in June.
Just yesterday, the Prime Minister was asked when the federal government would provide conditional support to the country’s airlines, as long as they refunded the travellers who had to cancel because of COVID-19. Justin Trudeau said Canadians want to make sure they are not out of pocket but they also want to know that there is a future for the airline industry in Canada. Many passengers were given vouchers from the airlines, not their money back.
Flexible Booking and Cancellation Policies
Under a revised goodwill policy, new bookings made up to June 30, 2020 can be changed without fees for original travel between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.
In cases where Air Canada cancels flights due to COVID-19, customers with refundable tickets will continue to have the option of refunds. Since January 1, 2020, Air Canada has refunded nearly $1 billion to customers. Both customers with refundable and non-refundable tickets will have two new options to choose from:
An Air Canada Travel Voucher for the remaining value of their ticket that has no expiry date, is fully transferable and retains any residual value or;
The ability to convert the remaining value of their ticket into Aeroplan Miles, with 65 per cent more value versus the normal rate for buying Miles.
For voluntary changes, customers with refundable tickets will continue to have the option of refunds or the above new options. For Air Canada customers with non-refundable tickets making voluntary changes on tickets issued up to June 30, 2020, with an original travel date between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 inclusive, they have the option to choose from the two above new options of an Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan Miles.
The new goodwill policies and cancellation options are retroactive for customers with original travel between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Customers whose flights have been cancelled due to the impacts of COVID-19 and who have already received travel credit valid for 24 months, will be able to select one of the applicable options depending on their fare at aircanada.com beginning June 15, 2020. Customers with Aeroplan Flight Rewards can continue to cancel their redemption bookings free of charge through June 30, 2020.
For more information on Air Canada’s operations during the pandemic click here
