Air Canada FLASH / Covid19 Policy


Reminder: Access our new cancellation options

As a reminder, for aircanada.com/agents or AC2U bookings previously cancelled prior to June 1, 2020 and for travel after March 1, 2020, you will be able to access our new cancellation options as of June 15, 2020.

For GDS bookings, existing or previously cancelled bookings, on or after June 1, 2020 and for travel after March 1, 2020, you will be able to access our new cancellation options of the Air Canada Travel Voucher or Aeroplan Miles as of September 2020.  In the meantime, the below options are available:

  1. Continue to retain value for future travel; travel must be completed within 24 months from the date of cancellation.
  2. One-time free Name Transfer – please refer to the updated reference document.

We appreciate your continued support and patience while we upgrade our systems to make these options available to you.

Reminder: Ticketing Time Limits (TTL)

We are actively ensuring that Ticketing Time Limit (TTL) is being observed for all tickets issued. We appreciate your continued support in ensuring that TTL is actioned in a timely manner.

Updated travel guidelines: A useful step-by-step guide

Our network is expanding again, but some service changes and travel restrictions will remain in place. As part of our new end-to-end health and safety program, Air Canada CleanCare+, some of our processes have changed. We encourage your customers to learn what to expect with this step-by-step guide designed to simplify their travels.

Learn more.

Reminder: Book with flexibility

As a reminder, we have implemented highly flexible and expanded booking options. Your customer can make a one-time change without a fee for all new or existing bookings made through June 30, 2020 for original travel between March 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. If your customer is booked on Air Canada and they need to cancel for any reason, there are various options available. 
Note: Refunds cannot be processed via the BSP link.  All requests received through BSP link will be rejected. Please use your GDS self-refund functionality.
 
Highlights of our Goodwill (Voluntary) Changes: 

  • Tickets issued up to June 30, 2020, for travel booked on/after March 1, 2020 up to and including June 30, 2021.
  • Applies when the flight is not cancelled
  • Applies on 014 ticket stock
  • Applies to all fare types
  • Flight may be changed up to 2 hours before departure
  • One-time change without fee
  • Change of Destination: Passengers may choose to travel to/from an alternate Air Canada destination within ticket validity. Change fees are waived and ADCOL will apply.
  • Future travel credit (applicable to GDS bookings only) expires 24 months from the date of cancellation.
  • Refunds: As per fare rules. Any residual value is lost for non-refundable amounts. Refund cannot be processed via the BSP link. All requests received through BSP link will be rejected.
  • For aircanada.com/agents bookings, passengers may choose to convert the value towards Aeroplan Miles or store the value on an Air Canada Travel Voucher.

Highlights of our Schedule Change (Involuntary) Policy: 

A schedule change (SKCH) is a flight cancellation, time change, flight number change, routing/airport change or operating carrier change which occurs more than 48 hours prior to the original scheduled departure time.

  • Applicable to 014 tickets issued prior to the schedule change.
  • Applicable to all fare types.
  • Air Canada to Air Canada misconnection on the same day with separate tickets.
  • Air Canada schedule change causes misconnection with OAL on 014 ticket stock.
  • OAL schedule change on 014 ticket stock.
  • Applicable to tickets with payment on the PNR but not ticketed.
  • Once customers accept the re-protection, further voluntary changes or refunds are as per the fare rules.
  • Exceptions:
    • If the original flight goes through a schedule change and is subsequently reinstated (back to original date/times), the customer can be rebooked back on the original flight without penalty and remark the PNR
    • Not applicable if Air Canada provides a better connection/connecting time and/or earlier arrival time, that does not cause a misconnection.
    • If outside the rebooking window, only the change fee is waived; additional collection applies.
    • Not applicable if the customer has made voluntary changes following the acceptance of a previous schedule change.

If no suitable protection is available, customers have the option to cancel their reservation to retain for future use (GDS Bookings).  The credit will be valid for travel to be completed up to 24 months from date of when the booking was cancelled. Alternately, they can choose the Air Canada Travel Voucher, Aeroplan points or a full refund for Point of Sale/Point of Origin itineraries from EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden), Switzerland, United Kingdom, Israel, Turkey and Algeria.

For GDS bookings, refunds should be processed via your GDS.  Please refer to Air Canada Refund Services Reference Guide for processing refunds. Refunds cannot be processed via the BSP link.  All requests received through BSP link will be rejected.  

Re-protection Guideline reminders:

Re-protection window
International travel window:  +/- 7 days before/after original travel dates
Partially used tickets on all markets:  +/- 21 days before/after original travel date of remaining coupon(s)

Applicable to all 014 tickets (same or separate tickets), including for non-changeable tickets (for example, Basic):

Rule

Within Travel window

Outside Travel window

Advance Purchase (APUR)

Waive

Waive

Additional Collection (ADCL)

Waive

Collect

Change Fee(s)

Waive

Waive

Min/Max Stay

Waive

Apply fare rule

Ticket Validity Extension Fee (TVEF)

Waive

Waive


Transatlantic Flights:
 

If the customer has not yet commenced their journey, the over-the-water reprotection flight must be Air Canada-operated and Air Canada-marketed. Connecting flights within EMEAI first priority reprotection is LH:AC* codeshares operated by Lufthansa Group (LH, SN, LX, OS) and then any OAL*; select the lowest available booking code within the applicable cabin.

If the customer has already commenced their journey, and reprotection is required for their return flights, the Transatlantic reprotection flight must be rebooked on Air Canada-operated or Air Canada-marketed on any OAL flights. Connecting flights within EMEAI may be operated by any OAL; select the lowest available booking code within the applicable cabin.
 
Warsaw and Intra-Poland

LOT Polish Airlines (LO) can be used between European hubs and WAW, protection on LO must only be done in these select booking codes in the economy cabin only (lowest to highest): O, U, L, W, V.
 
Order of selecting a flight for protection

1. AC, AC Express and AC Rouge flights
2. A++ JV Partners (LH, UA, SN, LX, OS)
3. AC*/Codeshare flights (operated by Star alliance)
4. Pure Star Alliance Partner flights, book lowest available booking code in the same cabin
5. AC*/Codeshare flights (operated by OAL)
 
Exception: Route suspensions due to COVID-19

For route suspensions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the following exceptions to the protection window are permitted.

A route suspension is defined as a destination where Air Canada will not have a direct service to for a period of time.

Note that the below is not applicable to flight cancellations due to COVID-19 where we are continuing to operate a reduced schedule.

Partially used tickets:

  • Customers with partially used tickets can rebook up to a maximum of 30 days after we resume service. ADCOL and change fee are waived, and customers can be rebooked up to M class.
  • Customers originally in Premium Economy can be rebooked up to O class for their new travel dates.
  • Customers originally in Business Class can be rebooked up to J class for their new travel dates.
  • Note: If rebooking on codeshare (AC*) flights, see the grid of permitted carriers and classes of service in the Protection Guidelines section.

Unused tickets:

Customers with fully unused tickets will have the following options:

  • Rebooked on Air Canada marketed and operated flights for all markets up to a maximum of 30 days after we resume service. ADCOL and change fee are waived, and customers originally in economy can be rebooked up to M class for their new travel dates.
  • Customers originally in Premium Economy can be rebooked up to O class for their new travel dates.
  • Customers originally in Business Class can be rebooked up to J class for their new travel dates.

Conditions:

  • The transborder/transatlantic/transpacific sector must be rebooked on Air Canada marketed and operated flights.
  • Same original routing or (sister city), same original length of stay must be carried on the new ticket.
  • Note: Should classes of service higher than M class only be available, the flight will not be eligible to have both the ADCOL and change fees waived. Customers will still be able to select this flight by paying the applicable ADCOL – the change fee will continue to be waived.
  • Alternatively, customers can be rebooked on other flights where lower classes of service are available.

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