Get Your Refund on Air Canada Cancelled Flights!
Today, Air Canada announced it will issue refunds for flight cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the bailout deal it struck with the government of Canada, Air Canada agreed to offer refunds to customers; it is a move that will be much welcomed by those who were previously denied refunds and were forced to accept travel credits and eVouchers, even if the flights were cancelled by Air Canada.
If you have previously cancelled your flight and were received travel credits or e-vouchers, you can now submit a form on the Air Canada website to get a full refund on your original method of payment. You can claim your refund during this ‘Goodwill Period’, which is from now until June 12, 2021. After June 12, you will once again only be able to claim travel vouchers. All you need to do is go to this page to request your refund:
If you have been issued a voucher already, then will be either asked to enter your it. Or, if you don’t have a voucher, then you will be asked for your PNR / booking reference and last name instead.
Refund Policy Explained
Here’s a quick breakdown on all the conditions required to be eligible for refund in the ‘COVID-19 Goodwill Period’, according to Air Canada’s refund policy page:
- Ticket with travel dates from February 1, 2020
- Ticket purchased before April 13, 2021
- Your flight was cancelled before April 13, 2021
- You make the request before June 12, 2021 at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time
If you meet the above 4 requirements, then you are eligible for a full refund, even if you were the one who initiated the cancellation!
My Actual Experience with the Refund Page
I have a couple tickets that were cancelled due to COVID, and fit all 4 requirements as outlined above. However, when I attempted to retrieve the booking, I was informed my record locators could not be found:
So I ended up needing to call Air Canada customer service line instead, and an agent was able to process my refund over the phone.
It’s notable that even for tickets that were cancelled proactively (for my example, I cancelled my own AC ticket before Air Canada cancelled my flight) – and those are also eligible for full refunds!
