Metro Vancouver travellers are making contingency plans as a potential Air Canada strike looms.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, the union representing Air Canada's pilots, can legally issue a 72-hour strike notice as early as Sept. 15. The union is asking for several key changes to the outdated contract, most notably wage increases commensurate with salaries at U.S. airlines.
Madeleine Lefebvre told V.I.A. she booked a flight from Toronto to New Jersey on Sept. 21 but isn't sure what will happen because it is a codeshare flight (Air Canada and United Airlines). A representative from United informed her that it "won't be affected" but she will be "watching closely" as the strike deadline approaches.
"I did book a refundable Porter flight as a backup as we’re going to [New York] for a cruise and I didn’t want us to be stranded," she said.
Cindy Cirillo also has an upcoming trip with Canada's flag carrier. She's flying from Vancouver International Airport on Sept. 16 and makes a stop in Montreal en route to Lisbon, Portugal. She booked through Air Miles and got a message saying the earliest call back would be Sept. 17 — the day after she is scheduled to fly out.
"Because we booked through Air Miles this is the only way we can get a rebooking or any information," she told V.I.A. "I don't know what to do."
"What a mess this will be if they strike."
When asked if the pilots would picket at airports across Canada, and if travellers flying with other airlines should brace for long lines with stranded travellers or heavy traffic, ALPA remained tight-lipped.
Spokesperson Camilla Castro told V.I.A. that if the pilots give strike notice they will let people know what they plan to do.
What are passengers entitled to during the Air Canada strike?
Air Passenger Rights founder and president Gabor Lukacs said Air Canada passengers with tickets booked during the prospective strike window should know their rights.
He told V.I.A. that the airline must follow the rules in the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). In other words, customers who didn't take advantage of Air Canada's Goodwill Rebooking Policy aren't out of luck.
Lukacs points to WestJet's mechanics' union strike over the Canada Day long weekend, noting that Air Canada must follow the same rules. The airline must re-accommodate guests booked on cancelled flights with a flight on an alternative airline within 48 hours of their scheduled departure if they do not have another flight available. It must also book flights for its guests with airlines outside of its network if no flights are available.
Guests are also entitled to request a refund to their original form of payment. Air Canada must fly them back to their airport of origin.
Lukacs notes that rebooking must be done in whatever fare class is available. This means a passenger who booked an economy Air Canada ticket must get a free upgrade to business class if those are the only tickets available, according to the APPR ss.18(2)-(3).
The air passenger rights advocate also advises travellers to look at websites that show other available flights before accepting its offer; an airline may put them on a less desirable flight that costs the airline less money.
Travellers with international segments in their itineraries may be owed more. Air Canada is liable for damages incurred as a result of any flight delays or cancellations, meaning travellers can recoup money for meals, hotels, lost wages, and more.
What happens if Air Canada preemptively cancels flights?
If Air Canada cancels flights before its pilots issue a strike notice, thereby issuing a "lockout," the cancellations are considered within the carrier's control, according to Lukacs.
If the traveller chooses to travel and Air Canada cancels their flight, it must book them on a competitor airline irrespective of interline agreement. The airline must also provide meals and overnight accommodation, as well as compensation up to $1,000 per person depending on the length of the delay.
Alternatively, if the traveller chooses not to travel, Air Canada must refund passengers within 14 days to their original form of payment. It must also provide compensation of up to $400 per passenger.
Air Canada's Goodwill Rebooking Policy allows travellers flying in the period immediately preceding and after the end of the cooling-off period on Sept. 17 to change their already purchased travel plans for free.
Travellers flying to or from YVR or any other city the airline services can make changes online, through Air Canad's mobile app, through a travel agent, or by calling an Air Canada Contact Centre (the airline warns that "wait times may be elevated").
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