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Understanding Air Canada Cancellation Policy and Refund

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Air Canada Cancellation Policy

Flight cancellations can be stressful and time-consuming, but you must do what is necessary. The Air Canada Cancellation Policy varies depending on your ticket type and the reason for the flight cancellation. Check your Air Canada refund eligibility, request a refund, and avoid cancellation fees. In this article, I will walk you through the Air Canada cancellation policy, the Air Canada refund policy, the various cancellation fees for different fare classes, and much more.

Air Canada Cancellation Policy

The cancellation policy varies depending on the kind of fare, time of cancellation, and cause for cancellation. When you cancel your ticket due to medical emergencies, regardless of the ticket type, you will receive a full refund, even if you cancel just before your departure. As understanding as the airline is about medical issues, you will still need to produce the paperwork proving the medical emergency. If your flight is canceled by the airline, you will get Air Canada flight cancellation compensation.

Air Canada Refund Policy

According to Air Canada cancellation policy, if you cancel your ticket within 24 hours after booking, you are eligible for a full refund in the original payment method. When you cancel your ticket after 24 hours, the reimbursement depends entirely on the ticket type you purchased. The Air Canada reimbursement for refundable tickets will be credited to your bank account within 7 working days and appear in the billing cycle within 2 cycles, in compliance with the Air Canada Cancellation Policy.

Refunds are primarily determined by fare type; your fare type will decide whether or not you can receive them. Air Canada refund policy for different tickets is described below:

Passengers with basic economy are not allowed to do Air Canada flight cancellations.
Non-refundable ticketed passengers (Standard Economy, Comfort, Flex, and Non-Flexible Business Class/Premium Economy tickets) will only get a partial refund. On applying for cancellation they will have to pay cancellation charges and a refund will be given in the form of travel credit.
Refundable ticketed (Premium Economy Flexible, Latitude, and Business Flexible) passengers are eligible for a full refund.
If you have an award ticket then a cancellation charge will apply and it will differ based on whether you are canceling online or offline. Award ticket cancellation charges also differ based on the tier of membership.

How much is the Air Canada cancellation fee?

Basic economy tickets do not allow cancellation, while non-refundable tickets enable cancellation but carry a cancellation fee, as specified in the Air Canada Cancellation Policy. Unlike other tickets, the Air Canada Award Cancellation Fee varies depending on whether you cancel your ticket online or through a contact center. Let's look at the Air Canada cancellation fees for each fare individually.

Air Canada cancellation fee for non-refundable tickets such as Standard Economy, Comfort, Flex, and Non-Flexible Business Class and Premium Economy Tickets is USD 200.
The fee for refundable tickets viz., Premium Economy Flexible, Latitude, and Business Flexible is 0 USD.
The members of Altitude Super Elite 100k do not have to pay any Air Canada cancellation fee on ticket cancellation.
The cancellation fee for award tickets varies as per online and offline transactions that is,
Online cancellation: USD 125
Via contact center: USD 150
Online cancellation (Diamond members): USD 30
Via the contact center (Diamond members): USD 100

Air Canada Flight Cancellation Compensation

The airline must pay you if it cancels your travel for a cause such as inclement weather, staffing problems, mechanical difficulties, or delays in your flight by more than three hours. The following is the Air Canada flight cancellation compensation, which varies depending on the circumstances:

Compensation with flight options

Air Canada will give you another flight option, you can choose whichever you want at your convenience. But in the case where you don't want to travel anymore or have other plans you will receive compensation of USD/CAD 400.

Compensation for a flight delay

If the Air Canada flight was delayed by 3 hours or more then you will be compensated as per hours delayed:

If the flight is delayed by 3 to 6 hours, then you will get $292 (400 CAD).
If the flight is delayed by 6 to 9 hours, then you will get $512 (700 CAD).
If the flight is delayed by more than 9 hours, you will get $732 (1,000 CAD).

Compensation for denied boarding

In case you were denied boarding despite having a valid reservation because of Airline’s problem then the compensation will be:

Delayed by 0–6 hours - compensation USD/CAD 900
Delayed by 6–9 hours - compensation USD/CAD 1,800
Delayed by at least 9 hours - compensation USD/CAD 2400

FAQs

What happens if I wish to cancel an Air Canada flight?

You most certainly can do the cancellation. However, as per Air Canada's cancellation policy, it will depend on your fare type and whether you can receive a refund or not.

When a flight is delayed or canceled by Air Canada, what can I do?

By Air Canada cancellation policy, you are entitled to a complete refund or a refund for the portion of the ticket that you haven't used when Air Canada delays or cancels your flight.