Was your travel cancelled during the pandemic? If you booked with Air Canada, you may already know that they are offering refunds for cancelled flights. But did you know you may have other options if they deny you a full refund? Here is what the law says in BC when it comes to travel cancellations.
Air Canada refunds
Air Canada initiated a refund process for their customers who had their flights cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you booked a flight with Air Canada and are looking for a refund for a cancelled flight, we suggest you start by following their official process for a refund before the June 12th, 2021 deadline.
If you are denied a full refund from Air Canada, you may have other options.
What you might not know
If you are denied a rightfully owed refund from Air Canada (or other airlines), you may be entitled to a refund under BC’s consumer protection laws.
To be eligible for a refund, you must have booked online or by phone and the travel services must not have been available to you (i.e.: the plane never took off or the hotel was closed). If you’re eligible, you may be owed a full refund under BC law.
The laws are very specific and not everyone will be eligible. There are several steps that need to be followed exactly and it may take some time. We recommend you start by carefully reading this page for details about eligibility and our process: COVID-19 and refunds for cancelled travel.
Please remember to follow through with Air Canada’s refund process first before coming to us. That way, you avoid going through two processes at once, which can complicate things.
Questions?
You may find an answer in our FAQ blog post. If not, feel free to ask it below and we’ll do our best to find an answer.
Other resources on this topic
COVID-19 and travel refunds
FAQ: Refunds for cancelled travel services
Cancelled travel plans: 4 scenarios and what to do
About Consumer Protection BC
We are not-for-profit regulator responsible for overseeing certain industries and specific consumer transactions in British Columbia. If your concern is captured under the laws we enforce, we will use the tools at our disposal to assist you. If we can’t help you directly, we will try to offer a referral to a relevant organization, if one exists. Other times, court or legal assistance may be the best option. Explore our website at www.consumerprotectionbc.ca.
My name is Laura Maddison of Richmond, BC. Last November I was involuntarily denied boarding by a poorly trained agent at YVR who insisted that I needed an ESTA form, rather than my UK passport (I am a Permanent Resident of Canada) and my B1/2 US Visa. The US Consulate, ESTA itself AND Air Canada confirmed that I should have been able to board the plane with those documents (not ESTA). Air Canada ultimately provided an e-coupon for the cost of my plane fare (approx $360) and added an additional amount to a total of $500 as compensation for the denial. I am worried that the pandemic will continue past the time of the expiry (Dec 2022) and I also have seen some information that compensation should have been 300% of the original amount paid. Can you help me get the proper refund? Thank you.
Hi Laura, thank you for leaving us a comment here. We have been able to assist some travellers whose travel plans were cancelled by airlines due to the pandemic. Having said that, the issues you are describing is not because of the COVID-19 pandemic and are beyond our authority. Continuing to negotiate with Air Canada directly would probably be one of the ways to resolve this issue. One another suggestion is to talk to a lawyer. Access Pro Bono has a program called Lawyer Referral Service and you may be able to access an expert lawyer who will provide up to a half-hour of free legal consultation. Here’s their website. I hope you will be able to get this sorted out quickly.
I have been waiting for my refund from Air Canada since May 2021 and yet i dont know what the status of my refund. Wondering if you are able to help me out with this.
I had cancellation for same booking ref no 3 times and all on account of Covid 19.
Thanks
Hi Anirudh, thank you for reaching out to us. We have a webpage that has a lot of information on this topic, including eligibility and steps to getting your refund. Please read the information on the page and if you have any questions, please let us know. When and if you are ready to go through our complaint process, the link is listed on the same page as well. Thank you!