Air Canada is set to gradually restart operations today after reaching an agreement with the union representing 10,000 flight attendants to end their strike.
The walkout has disrupted the plans of more than half a million travellers after Canada’s flag carrier began grounding flights on 14 August.
Flights are still expected to be affected over the coming days, with the airline saying “All flights of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge remain suspended” until at least mid-afternoon local time today.
Here’s what passengers need to know about their rights to compensation and what their travel insurance can cover.
Air Canada reaches agreement with union
The union announced the agreement early Tuesday after resuming talks with Air Canada late on Monday for the first time since the strike began over the weekend.
Canada’s largest airline said flights will start resuming on Tuesday evening.
Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday after turning down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
The union said the agreement will guarantee pay for members who work while planes are on the ground, resolving one of the major issues that drove the strike.
“Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,” the union said in a statement.
“When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back – and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on.”
When will Air Canada flights resume?
Chief executive Michael Rousseau said restarting a major carrier is a complex undertaking and said resuming regular service may require seven to 10 days.
Some flights will be cancelled until the schedule is stabilised.
“Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days,” Rousseau said in a statement.
Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. The airline estimated on Monday that 500,000 customers would be affected by flight cancellations.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that as of Monday afternoon, Air Canada had called off at least 1,219 domestic flights and 1,339 international flights since last Thursday, when the carrier began gradually suspending its operations ahead of the strike and lockout that began early Saturday.
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest, said it will deploy additional staff to assist passengers and support startup operations.
What are my rights if my Air Canada flight is cancelled?
If your flight was due to start in the EU or UK and is cancelled, Air Canada is obliged to find an alternative way to get you to your destination.
“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,” the airline said in a statement.
Air Canada says it “has made arrangements with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide customers alternative travel options to the extent possible”.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers remain stranded in Canada or abroad. Those waiting for flights can be expected to be provided with meals and accommodation where necessary.
Passengers whose flights are impacted will also be eligible to request a full refund on the airline’s website or mobile app, according to Air Canada.
As for compensation, if Air Canada cannot rebook you on an alternative flight within four hours of the original timing, you are entitled to €600 – the sum for a final destination outside the EU/EEA and distance greater than 3500 km.
If your flight originated in Canada, you are covered by the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR).
This means that the airline must ensure that you complete your journey, although no time frame is specified.
Given the volume of travellers needing to be rebooked on a new flight, Air Canada is advising passengers to cancel and request a refund instead.
Travellers left waiting to rebook on a new flight are not entitled to a duty of care as, under Canadian regulations, it is not obligatory during “a labour disruption within the carrier”.
Can I claim on travel insurance if my flight is cancelled?
You must seek a solution with the airline first; travel insurance is secondary to what the airline can or can’t do for you (and proof will be required).
Travellers may be entitled to compensation if their travel insurance policy includes coverage for trip interruption or cancellation.
In this case, you should make sure you keep all relevant paperwork, including receipts, boarding passes, and airline communications, in case you need to make a claim.
Travel insurance policies often also cover meals, hotels, or transport during extended disruptions.
