Air Canada non refundable flights cancellation

[bebe08]

Our April cruise to Hawaii was cancelled.  Flights booked thru Celebrity are with Air Canada and are non refundable.  We were due to fly out on April 10.

 

Below is what the X FAQ says. However AC FAQs clearly say to contact your TA if booked thru them.

 

I did try to call AC  but the message is please leave the line open for those who are booked within next 48 hours or trying to get back to Canada, so I hung up.  Wonder if I do nothing what will happen?  Any chance AC reaches out to offer a refund or credit?  It looks like the fights we were supposed to be on are cancelled anyways.  Trying to save myself the frustration of being on hold for hours only to be bounced back and forth between AC and X.  Anyone had any experience with this?

 

Sailings canceled between April 11–May 11, 2020 All guests with refundable air travel booked through Flights by Celebrity will be refunded automatically and the $200 penalty will be waived. Guests from North America with nonrefundable flights booked through Flights by Celebrity will need to contact the air carrier to check for available options. Guests outside North America with nonrefundable flights booked through Flights by Celebrity will need to have the terms of the ticket reviewed by the booking office

[thon]

Don’t know if this will help you Bebe but when my 27 March cruise was cancelled, I cancelled my self-made flights with both Air Canada and Westjet online.  Because of the pandemic they were offering to re-book these flights but without having to pay their standard $200 re-booking fee.  Would have been nice to get a refund but future flight credits we can probably use since we fly to see family in Calgary once or twice a year.  The downside (at least with the AC one) is that it must be used within a year of being booked - which means for us that it must be used before sometime in November.  Would be nice if they would extend the timeline some - if we still can’t fly (or feel unsafe flying)  by then we’ll see if they’ll extend the credit.  I forget what the timeline with Westjet is, but probably something similar to AC.

 

Since  AC doesn’t want people clogging up their phone lines you may want to send an email - at least that way you have a record of trying to contact them.

[mahi mahi]

Flights for our May 9th cruise were booked through Choice Air, also non-refundable.  The previous block of cancellations offered refunds of Choice Air bookings regardless if they were refundable or not.  I tried to contact the airline (Air Canada) but there was a wait of 1.5 hours.  Went to my booking on their website and was notified that because the booking was done by a third party etc. (i.e. Celebrity), I must contact them.  Talked to a Celebrity rep who basically said the same thing but when I explained AC said to contact them, he gave me the email address for Choice Air supervisors.

 

I explained the situation and asked that they refund the air tickets since I had paid them.  They replied they were working with the airlines and would reply in 7 - 10 days.  That was March 26th.

 

I too am concerned about the possibility of only getting a voucher from AC, valid from the day the tickets were booked.  Can't see regular travel being resumed by February 2021.

[Covepointcruiser]

If you have the confirmation number your best bet is to go to the airline site and cancel.

If it’s non refundable you will probably get a voucher for future travel on AC.   I would imagine travel within Canada will be available.   I see they are still flying right now.

 

Get on the internet and get busy.

[bebe08]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If you have the confirmation number your best bet is to go to the airline site and cancel.

If it’s non refundable you will probably get a voucher for future travel on AC.   I would imagine travel within Canada will be available.   I see they are still flying right now.

 

Get on the internet and get busy.

When I go to my bookings on AC and put in the booking # I get the following message.

Sorry, we're not able to display this booking online. To make changes to this booking, please contact Air Canada ReservationsOpens in a new window for assistance or talk to your travel agent.

 

  I was previously able to access the booking thru this manner (ie before cruise was cancelled).  Not sure if it is unable to display because X cancelled or because my flights no longer exist.  Someone did mention a form on the AC website you could fill in....I am trying to find it. Edit found the form and this is what it says:

 

"Before we get started, please read these important notes

If you purchased your ticket or paid for services through Air Canada Vacations, a Travel Agent, another airline or another website, please contact that merchant directly.+"

 

Soooo....AC says contact TA and TA says contact carrier.

I am going to go ahead and complete the form anyways and see what happens.  Will report back in case it helps anyone else in same situation.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2020 by bebe08
add additional info

[bebe08]

29 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

Someone did mention a form on the AC website you could fill in....I am trying to find it. Edit found the form and this is what it says:

 

"Before we get started, please read these important notes

If you purchased your ticket or paid for services through Air Canada Vacations, a Travel Agent, another airline or another website, please contact that merchant directly.+"

 

Soooo....AC says contact TA and TA says contact carrier.

I am going to go ahead and complete the form anyways and see what happens.  Will report back in case it helps anyone else in same situation.

 

So the form requires a ticket # and as our flights were not ticketed I don't have one...therefore can't complete the form.

 

 

[Perky1]

29 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

So the form requires a ticket # and as our flights were not ticketed I don't have one...therefore can't complete the form.

 

 

We also have Choice Air for a flight Apr 12 that was non refundable.  Our cruise planner with Celebrity told us to do nothing that she will look after everything.  So far our cruise is still active in my planner.  I will watch this thread and I will also report back as soon as I find anything out.  We have had notification from Air Canada that due to virus our flight has been cancelled.  I am assuming that any compensation wether monetary or credit has been sent to Choice Air.  Our flight was ticketed.

[rimmit]

We were booked AC for June 10 Canada.  
had to call choice air as AC would not deal with us.  Choice air got us a voucher valid from one year of when we booked it.  They said we could get it extended if need be by calling air Canada.  We will need to do that as we have no trips that would use AC between now at its expiration. 

 

If anyone can get a refund let me know.  Would rather have a refund and the fact we booked choice air aggravates me that we can’t get a refund.

[bebe08]

6 minutes ago, Perky1 said:

We also have Choice Air for a flight Apr 12 that was non refundable.  Our cruise planner with Celebrity told us to do nothing that she will look after everything.  So far our cruise is still active in my planner.  I will watch this thread and I will also report back as soon as I find anything out.  We have had notification from Air Canada that due to virus our flight has been cancelled.  I am assuming that any compensation wether monetary or credit has been sent to Choice Air.  Our flight was ticketed.

Thanks good to hear from someone who also booked AC thru Choice Air. I just got off the phone with Choice and they gave me the email for the Choice Air supervisor.  The address is choiceairsupervisors@rccl.com in case anyone is looking for it.  I have just sent them an email and also sent it to our cruise planner as we booked the cruise directly with X.   I will report back when I get a response.  

 

Thanks to all who replied....much appreciated!  Hopefully I will be able to provide a helpful update soon.  

[Perky1]

5 minutes ago, rimmit said:

 

If anyone can get a refund let me know.  Would rather have a refund and the fact we booked choice air aggravates me that we can’t get a refund.

If you book any of the cheaper flights with Air Canada...even direct with them they are non refundable. I wish the Canadian Government would step in and legislate them to refund when AIR CANADA cancels -which is our case.  They cancelled the flight with no reschedule so I think they should have to refund.  BUT, I am happy with a credit but it has to be valid for longer than 1 year from date of purchase Since we booked our flights May 20, 2019

[az_tchr]

1 hour ago, bebe08 said:

When I go to my bookings on AC and put in the booking # I get the following message.

Sorry, we're not able to display this booking online. To make changes to this booking, please contact Air Canada ReservationsOpens in a new window for assistance or talk to your travel agent.

 

  I was previously able to access the booking thru this manner (ie before cruise was cancelled).  Not sure if it is unable to display because X cancelled or because my flights no longer exist.  Someone did mention a form on the AC website you could fill in....I am trying to find it. Edit found the form and this is what it says:

 

"Before we get started, please read these important notes

If you purchased your ticket or paid for services through Air Canada Vacations, a Travel Agent, another airline or another website, please contact that merchant directly.+"

 

Soooo....AC says contact TA and TA says contact carrier.

I am going to go ahead and complete the form anyways and see what happens.  Will report back in case it helps anyone else in same situation.

 

 

Had flights to/from Europe on two carriers.  Needed to call both directly.  What worked best was calling about 3am EDT.  Wait was only about 10 minutes.  I received a credit voucher good thru 12/31 of 2021 on United.  Use a friend's Westjet account and he also received a credit.  No worries just a hassle figuring how to get through to customer service.

[rimmit]

35 minutes ago, Perky1 said:

If you book any of the cheaper flights with Air Canada...even direct with them they are non refundable. I wish the Canadian Government would step in and legislate them to refund when AIR CANADA cancels -which is our case.  They cancelled the flight with no reschedule so I think they should have to refund.  BUT, I am happy with a credit but it has to be valid for longer than 1 year from date of purchase Since we booked our flights May 20, 2019

I don’t mind the fact that it is nonrefundable on a normal basis.  I can even understand it in the current situations.  What annoys me is that previously X on cancelled cruise X was giving full refunds for flights booked with choice air regardless if it was Nonrefundable or not.  I am annoyed that policy changed and now we can only get what the airline offers in regards to flights.

[bebe08]

32 minutes ago, az_tchr said:

Had flights to/from Europe on two carriers.  Needed to call both directly.  What worked best was calling about 3am EDT.  Wait was only about 10 minutes.  I received a credit voucher good thru 12/31 of 2021 on United.  Use a friend's Westjet account and he also received a credit.  No worries just a hassle figuring how to get through to customer service.

Thanks I hadn't thought to check both carriers.  Part of our flight was with United.  Just checked and I can see our reservation was cancelled and credit was issued.  What I can't tell from their website is whether it is a credit voucher or actual refund.  Will see if X addresses this in their reply to my email.

 

[Vicjac]

The same exact thing happened to me regarding choice air.  It really makes me think twice about ever using them again.  What is their service good for, you to do all the leg work?  Why use them at all?  I also was given the same exact email address and received an email back stating the following:

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, Perky1 said:

If you book any of the cheaper flights with Air Canada...even direct with them they are non refundable. I wish the Canadian Government would step in and legislate them to refund when AIR CANADA cancels -which is our case.  They cancelled the flight with no reschedule so I think they should have to refund.  BUT, I am happy with a credit but it has to be valid for longer than 1 year from date of purchase Since we booked our flights May 20, 2019

I couldn't agree more. The passenger rights legislation passed last year has far too many loopholes and out for the airlines. Nevertheless, it might be worthwhile pursuing whether you are in fact entitled to further compensation for inconvenience:

 

When a flight is delayed or cancelled (including before the day of travel), an airline has minimum obligations to passengers that could include standards of treatment, rebooking or refunds, and up to $1,000 in compensation for inconvenience. Their obligations depend on whether the disruption is within the control of the airline, within the airline's control but required for safety, or outside its control. These situations are described briefly below. More detail, including how to treat the impacts of a flight disruption on other flights, is included in Types and Categories of Flight Disruption: A Guide.

[bebe08]

2 hours ago, Vicjac said:

The same exact thing happened to me regarding choice air.  It really makes me think twice about ever using them again.  What is their service good for, you to do all the leg work?  Why use them at all?  I also was given the same exact email address and received an email back stating the following:

Thanks for posting this letter...looks like this is a common problem.  I will probably get the same response.  I find it interesting that they state this is the standard protocol.    We had a cruise to Japan booked that was cancelled 2 months ago due to the virus.  Our nonrefundable Air Canada airfare was refunded directly by X. The letter we received from X for our Japan cancellation made it clear that they would take care of airfare refunds.  Now for our most recent cruise cancellation X has changed the rules re nonrefundable air and shifted the work to us.  

[Vicjac]

Bebe08 

By any chance were you on the Eclipse 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise during super bowl Sunday in 2018?

[az_tchr]

3 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Thanks I hadn't thought to check both carriers.  Part of our flight was with United.  Just checked and I can see our reservation was cancelled and credit was issued.  What I can't tell from their website is whether it is a credit voucher or actual refund.  Will see if X addresses this in their reply to my email.

 

X will not deal with it.  Almost guaranteed you got a credit voucher from United.

[az_tchr]

1 hour ago, bebe08 said:

Thanks for posting this letter...looks like this is a common problem.  I will probably get the same response.  I find it interesting that they state this is the standard protocol.    We had a cruise to Japan booked that was cancelled 2 months ago due to the virus.  Our nonrefundable Air Canada airfare was refunded directly by X. The letter we received from X for our Japan cancellation made it clear that they would take care of airfare refunds.  Now for our most recent cruise cancellation X has changed the rules re nonrefundable air and shifted the work to us.  

Celebrity changed the rules because the airlines changed the rules.  The tickets were issued in you name thus you are the only one now that can get it sorted.  Before the airlines would issue blanket refunds to X.  With their cash flow gone they simply do not have the $$ to refund several million tickets.

[Vicjac]

So the consumer is stuck?  The customer's a week before were issued refunds.  Why even use choice air??  I will bash them on every sight I get the opportunity if they don't make this right.  Social media is a powerful tool.

[BEAV]

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) clamped down this week on airlines giving vouchers in lieu of cash refunds to passengers with non-refundable tickets where the airline has cancelled the flight. This includes non-U.S. airlines who operate in/out of the U.S.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/coronavirus-travel-airlines-must-give-refunds-not-vouchers-when-flights-are-axed.html

 

If you're holding an Air Canada non-refundable ticket for a flight that operates to/from the U.S.:

1. Go to the AC website as if you're booking a new ticket for the first time.

2. Enter the origin/destination and date of your ticketed flight. If the flight you were booked on no longer displays, chances are it's been cancelled. With airlines cancelling more than 50% of their normal schedules, the odds are in your favor your flight has been cancelled.

3. If you can reasonably determine your flight has been cancelled, call Flights by Celebrity. This is what folks on our Roll Call are doing and they report Flights by Celebrity are taking their info with a follow-up expected in 7-10 days. My assumption is Celebrity will need to verify with Air Canada your flight has been cancelled before they can begin the process of issuing a refund. 

4. Air Canada won't be able to give you the refund because they don't have your credit card information. If you booked with Flights by Celebrity you'll notice on your credit card statement the charge was by them, not Air Canada. The refund will have to come from Celebrity. Although I had a refundable fare with Flights by Celebrity, my refund will be by them, not the airline. 

 

When you call Flights by Celebrity, stress to the Agent the airline has cancelled your flight. That's your "ticket" (pardon the pun) to a refund. 

 

If you've already been issued a voucher, and the airline has cancelled your flight, there's hope it can be changed into a refund. Several U.S. Senators are pushing for this and have asked airlines to reply by April 7. No guarantee, but there's hope. 

 

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Senators-warn-airlines-refunds-15169687.php

 

This past week my Sister was able to obtain a cash refund on a non-refundable ticket w/United after they cancelled her flight. Previous to that, they were only giving vouchers. But she pressed for a refund, knowing her rights under the DOT rules, and United was forced to comply. The airlines are banking on the consumer not knowing what they're entitled to.

[cruise kitty]

7 hours ago, Vicjac said:

The same exact thing happened to me regarding choice air.  It really makes me think twice about ever using them again.  What is their service good for, you to do all the leg work?  Why use them at all?  I also was given the same exact email address and received an email back stating the following:

 

thank you for this,  we are booked thru choice air, Delta (operated by West Jet LAX to Vancouver B.C., non refundable,  & Delta Seattle back to L.A. for our return flights.   Delta says they can't help as we booked through Celebrity,  Celebrity says they can't help as it's non refundable & that Delta should take care of it.  As far as I know we are barred from flying to Canada so can't see how I could use the flights even if we wanted to.  

[cruise kitty]

@BEAV  thank you, so helpful!!

[Vicjac]

7 hours ago, BEAV said:

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) clamped down this week on airlines giving vouchers in lieu of cash refunds to passengers with non-refundable tickets where the airline has cancelled the flight. This includes non-U.S. airlines who operate in/out of the U.S.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/03/coronavirus-travel-airlines-must-give-refunds-not-vouchers-when-flights-are-axed.html

 

If you're holding an Air Canada non-refundable ticket for a flight that operates to/from the U.S.:

1. Go to the AC website as if you're booking a new ticket for the first time.

2. Enter the origin/destination and date of your ticketed flight. If the flight you were booked on no longer displays, chances are it's been cancelled. With airlines cancelling more than 50% of their normal schedules, the odds are in your favor your flight has been cancelled.

3. If you can reasonably determine your flight has been cancelled, call Flights by Celebrity. This is what folks on our Roll Call are doing and they report Flights by Celebrity are taking their info with a follow-up expected in 7-10 days. My assumption is Celebrity will need to verify with Air Canada your flight has been cancelled before they can begin the process of issuing a refund. 

4. Air Canada won't be able to give you the refund because they don't have your credit card information. If you booked with Flights by Celebrity you'll notice on your credit card statement the charge was by them, not Air Canada. The refund will have to come from Celebrity. Although I had a refundable fare with Flights by Celebrity, my refund will be by them, not the airline. 

 

When you call Flights by Celebrity, stress to the Agent the airline has cancelled your flight. That's your "ticket" (pardon the pun) to a refund. 

 

If you've already been issued a voucher, and the airline has cancelled your flight, there's hope it can be changed into a refund. Several U.S. Senators are pushing for this and have asked airlines to reply by April 7. No guarantee, but there's hope. 

 

https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Senators-warn-airlines-refunds-15169687.php

 

This past week my Sister was able to obtain a cash refund on a non-refundable ticket w/United after they cancelled her flight. Previous to that, they were only giving vouchers. But she pressed for a refund, knowing her rights under the DOT rules, and United was forced to comply. The airlines are banking on the consumer not knowing what they're entitled to.

I can't thank you enough.  I also had a flight that I booked directly with United - Non refundable.  This morning I called and they also tried to say I was entitled to a credit with them.  After bringing up my rights under the DOT, I was told a full refund will be put back to my credit card.  You were so right that the airlines are banking on you not knowing this information.  Now onto Celebrity Air.  Thanks Again.  I'm sure your post will help many others.

[Perky1]

I got my flight thru Choice Air (one way to FLL) back in June, 2019 for April 2020 and it was Air Canada that charged my visa not Choice Air.  It shows on my Celebrity booking as Choice Air and the payment for that amount made the same day.