Talks between Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants are heading towards a work stoppage this weekend after the union officially gave its strike notice to the airline overnight.
But if you bought Air Canada tickets, you might be wondering — can you get a refund, and what should you do now?
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Air Canada says it has served the company with a 72-hour strike notice, while advising members the airline has issued its own plan to lock out employees early Saturday morning.
The carrier said it will begin cancelling flights as early as Thursday because “sudden or unmanaged work stoppages produce a significantly worse disruption to travel than a planned suspension of flying.”
“A controlled wind down allows Air Canada to advise customers in advance, reduces the chance of customers being stranded, provides the airline and customers the time and opportunity to make alternative travel arrangements, and gives customers more certainty,” Air Canada said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
The first flights will be cancelled Thursday, with more on Friday, with a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge on Saturday, the company said.
According to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), suspension or cancellation of flights due to labour disruptions, such as strikes or lockouts, is “deemed outside the airline’s control.”
However, this does not mean that passengers are left without options.
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The airline must provide you with status updates and work to complete your travel as soon as possible, but is not required to provide compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR).
Any passengers worried about their travel being disrupted should contact the airline to confirm their travel dates and ask what they should do to prepare. They should also regularly consult the airline’s website to determine if it has implemented a policy dealing with this situation for ticket holders, the CTA said.
Air Canada said in its Wednesday statement that customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and can obtain a full refund. Customers without confirmed flights should not go to the airport, it added.
The refund can be obtained on the Air Canada website or on the Air Canada mobile app. The airline said it is also working to make alternative travel arrangements for customers.
Passengers don’t have to accept compensation for cancellation if they’d rather have alternative transport arrangements, said Gabor Lukacs, president of the advocacy group Air Passenger Rights.
“From Air Canada’s perspective, the best outcome in the case of a strike is give you a refund for a flight they cancel and wash their hands from your alternate transportation. Don’t fall for that,” he said.
“If you voluntarily accept a refund, then Air Canada (can) possibly argue, ‘A passenger chose a refund (and) we no longer owe them alternate transportation.’ But if you say, ‘No, I won’t accept the refund, give me alternate transportation,’ and they fail to do so (or) refuse to do so, they owe you compensation for your alternate transportation costs,” he said.
Air Canada said it is working with other airlines to provide alternative transportation for passengers.
“The company has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide customers alternative travel options to the extent possible. Customers will be notified of alternative travel options that are identified for them,” the statement said.
“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,” the statement added.
The airline said it has implemented other measures to mitigate the impact of a strike or lockout.
“This includes implementing a flexible rebooking policy for all customers, so they can change or defer travel at no additional cost,” the statement said.
If your travel has been disrupted and you’re not satisfied with how an airline resolved your issue, you can file a complaint with CTA.
Experts say your travel insurance might cover travel disruptions, including from a strike or lockout.
“If your travel insurance policy covers trip cancellation, interruption, delay or missed connection and a strike is listed as a covered reason, you may be reimbursed for prepaid travel costs that Air Canada or other providers won’t refund,” said Will McAleer, spokesperson for Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada.
He added that any insured travellers should check whether this met the definition of a “known event” back when they booked their flights.
“Many travel insurance providers may indicate when the threat of the strike became a known event. Policies purchased prior to this date may include coverage, but those purchased after may not,” he added.
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