Air Canada revises refund policy amid growing anger over cancelled flights

MONTREAL – Air Canada is revising its cancellation policy amid mounting customer frustration, offering travellers the option of a voucher with no expiry date or discount Aeroplan points if the airline cancels their flight due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline says the new policy — the previous one capped travel vouchers at 24 months — applies to non-refundable tickets issued up to the end of June, with an original travel date between March 1 and June 30.

Air Canada's new tack comes as advocates and thousands of passengers continue to demand their money back for services they paid for but have not received.

Three petitions with more than 77,000 signatures are calling for full refunds to be implemented before financial aid is handed out to airlines, two of which were presented to the House of Commons over the past 11 days.

None of Canada's major airlines are offering to return cash to passengers for the hundreds of thousands of flight cancellations since mid-March, opting instead for vouchers — typically with a timeline of two years.

Pressed on the issue Thursday at his daily media conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will look at the issue further.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2020.

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