COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

Last Feb, I booked a flight to UK for my brother's wedding in May.

He has sensibly postponed his wedding, but looking at the Air Canada website, I'm not sure if I qualify for refund or even credit

The rules as I see them are you can get full refund if
- you booked after Mar 4th or
- you were scheduled to fly before Apr 30.

Anyone else in this situation or can advise the best way to get refund or credit against future flight?

I've not tried phoning yet as I expect the lines to be swamped

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

None of the airlines from what I have seen have cancelled flights in May yet so there is nothing that can be done right now.

You are best off waiting until AC cancel the flight because then you can maybe aggressively ‘negotiate’ a full refund

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

I'm going to call British Airways for my flight to the UK in May later this week. If I can't get through or they refuse a refund, I'll likely just call the credit card company and do a chargeback (since the merchant gets 45 days to contest a chargeback request and 45 days before my flight is March 30th). I know someone who had to do this to get a full refund from WestJet.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

My flight back to Canada would have been on Friday March 27, but I decided to not go back and stay in Germany instead.
I had tried to cancel my flight online, but it wouldn't give me the full refund, so I tried to call them last week - to no avail. I wrote an email last Friday and received a reply yesterday that I could cancel my flights since the first was to leave before April 30 , and I would get a credit for a future flight, which is fine with me. I called today and didn't even have to wait for more than 2 minutes. Both flights are now cancelled and I have to use the credit until 31 March 2021.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

I had an email from expedia saying our trip in April has been cancelled due to WestJet halting operations, and it gave a link on how to cancel and get a refund in "WestJet" dollars. Normally I'd be ok with that, but who knows wether WestJet will pop back up after all of this, and in that case what of those virtual dollars? There's also the fact that having the money back right now would be rather handy.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

Appears to me you should be able to cancel without penalty and get a full credit towards a future flight, no mention of needing to travel between certain dates that I see, just that the booking needed to be made before the future date of March 31, 2020.


If you made a flight booking before March 31st, 2020, and you want to cancel it, you can do so with no cancellation fee. You will receive full credit, which you can use towards future travel. This credit is valid for travel before March 31st, 2021.

Here’s how:

• If you booked on aircanada.com, the Air Canada mobile app, through the Air Canada Contact Centre; or on Kayak, Google Flights or Skyscanner; you can go online for the fastest outcome:
  • Sign in to aircanada.com, and select ‘My Bookings’
  • Enter the booking reference number and passenger information
  • Select ‘Cancel booking’
  • When you confirm, if any change fee is displayed, it will be waived
  • Please ensure that you hold on to your ticket number, which can be found in your original booking itinerary. When you are ready to travel again, please call us at 1-888-247-2262, with your ticket number, to book your future flight. Future travel using your travel credit must be completed before March 31st, 2021.
• If you booked your ticket through a travel agent or online travel agency (for example Expedia or Priceline), please contact them for assistance. Remember that tickets sold through a travel agency cannot be changed online.
• Click here if your booking is an Aeroplan flight reward.
• For all vacation packages purchased through Air Canada Vacations before March 31st, 2020, please visit AirCanadaVacations.com
• If you booked in 2019, call us before the one-year anniversary of your original ticket purchase date and we will extend the waiver through March 31st, 2021

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

one reason airlines push credits over refunds as some very likely don't have the cash on hand to provide refunds in mass, which Sunwing has announced, they initially provided refunds to passengers who wanted them, but no longer have the resources to do so.

My guess is Sunwing will go belly up, don't see the smaller airlines surviving.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

Have 15 days left on ESTA Flight home cancelled and alternatives not acceptable due to 3 separate flight through 3 airports and over 24 hours. in my 70s and at risk. Question is are the US immigration going to make an exception to the ESTA 90 day rule for people like me. Any opinions???

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

You’d be better off asking in the US immigration forums, the good folks there will be able to help you.

Good luck.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

Thanks for that JS, it does read that way.
But when I tried to do that, pesky online form wants to charge me $193 cancellation fee.
Tried phoning, but warned I would have to wait 60 mins, which I don't have right now. Will try again tomorrow

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

User error : scrolling to the bottom of the page I was able to get full credit for the flight, valid until Mar 31 2021

Thanks for the replies, hope everyone else can sort something out.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

This is what I found about the federal program. Looks like if I had made 300 more in 2019, I would possibly have qualified.

My income from working was only 4,783 in 2019.

worker means a person who is at least 15 years of age, who is resident in Canada and who, for 2019 or in the 12-month period preceding the day on which they make an application under section 5, has a total income of at least$5,000 — or, if another amount is fixed by regulation, of at least that amount — from the following sources:
(a) employment;
(b) self-employment;
(c) benefits paid to the person under any of subsections 22(1), 23(1), 152.04(1) and 152.05(1) of the Employment Insurance Act; and
(d) allowances, money or other benefits paid to the person under a provincial plan because of pregnancy or in respect of the care by the person of one or more of their new-born children or one or more children placed with them for the purpose of adoption. (travailleur)

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

Have just seen this on MSN, its just not right.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/tops...5ti?li=AAggNb9

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

Yes saw that, a bunch of us were due to fly out to Halifax end of this month, we tried to cancel but got credit instead, which I am ok with as long as there is not a huge hike in the new prices. That said i am wondering if the airline will even still exist by the time things return to "normal".....so from that perspective, I would like a full refund.

Re: COVID 19 affecting existing travel plans
 

That article by Sophie Harris is incorrect. It portrays the CTA's statement as being a legally binding document, which it is not.

It's well worth joining this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AirPassengerRights/
Lots of advice, including a nice PDF about how to contact your credit card company to request a chargeback if they refuse to give a refund to original form of payment, when the airline has cancelled the trip. I believe it surrounds various bits of law to do with services not being rendered.