Navigating Air Canada’s potential strike has been “a complete nightmare,” says travel advisor

Air Canada’s plan to suspend operations as talks with its pilot union near an impasse is stressful not only for travellers – especially the ones with imminent travel plans – but also for travel advisors, who are now tasked with finding solutions for their clients.

“We’re struggling because of this,” said Pat Probert of the Bob Family Travel Team at TravelOnly, speaking to PAX over the phone on Tuesday (Sept. 10). “We just went through this with WestJet who was able to come to an agreement so we could keep our clients flying. We hope Air Canada does the same. Quickly. We need to come together. We are one industry family – agents, suppliers and airlines.”

Probert was on his phone all day yesterday – at times, juggling multiple lines at once – trying to secure alternative flights for his customers, who are currently in various stages of trips, in different parts of the world.

READ MORE: Six things to know about Air Canada’s potential pilots’ strike; airline needs to “get serious,” says union

Many of his clients who were booked to fly with Air Canada are either starting or finishing cruises in Florida, as well as in Europe.

Ensuring that his customers are able to return home to Canada, or make their ship’s departure date on time, with a possible airline strike hanging in the balance, has been “a complete nightmare,” Probert told PAX.

“I respect the right to strike and make a point,” he said. “But they need to get back to the table and get a deal done.  The country’s economy and people are depending on it.”

Contingency plans activated

Unless an agreement is reached, Air Canada pilots will be in legal strike position on Sept. 18. But the impacts will be felt sooner if negotiations continue to stall.

Earlier this week, Air Canada released contingency plans to suspend its flights, saying that a 72-hour strike or lockout notice could be issued as early as Sunday, Sept. 15 – any time after 00:01 EDT.

READ MORE: Air Canada strike: TICO posts guidance for ACV bookings, clarifies role in labour dispute

At that point, the airline would begin a three-day wind down plan (an “orderly shutdown”) of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.

During this process, flights would be progressively cancelled over three days, with a complete shutdown as early as 00:01 EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 18, Air Canada said.

But some disruptions could start as early as this Friday (September 13), including the cancellation of some holiday packages and the grounding of some aircraft, the airline noted.

Challenges & fees

While everything (as of the morning of September 11) is still up in the air, the situation has plagued the travel landscape with uncertainty – a word that doesn’t jibe with travel advisors (or travellers, for that matter).

Probert, preparing for the worst, has been proactively trying to rebook his Air Canada clients with other carriers this week. But even that has presented a string of new challenges and costs.

READ MORE: Air Canada preparing to suspend operations as union talks near impasse

Air Canada has cancellation and refund options for customers who prefer to no longer travel, or who want to rebook, but it appears there are gaps in the policy.

Probert points out that Air Canada is allowing customers to change their flight, but only to another Air Canada airline and not to a code share carrier (outside of the Sept. 15-23 period).

“If you cancel now and rebook it with any other airline, it’s considered a voluntary change or cancellation and you will have full penalties,” he said. “Some penalties include 100 per cent non-refundable fares or penalties of up to $600 or more for Business. This does not include any wholesaler fees or travel advisor fees.”

Customers who purchased a refundable fare, and who want to cancel, will receive a full refund, says Air Canada. But those who purchased a non-refundable fare (and who want to cancel) will receive the value of their ticket in their AC Wallet or as a Future Travel Credit.

This is “causing havoc for us travel agents,” Probert explained, because “most people do not book refundable fares because they’re too expensive.”

Goodwill policy & travel dates

Under a goodwill policy that was activated Aug. 27, Air Canada is allowing travellers to change their flight for free if they purchased a ticket or redeemed points for an Aeroplan flight reward no later than Sept. 9, 2024, for travel between Sept. 15 and Sept. 23, 2024.

But Probert takes issue with the policy’s travel dates as disruptions, as per Air Canada’s update on Monday, may start before Sept. 15 – as soon as this Friday (Sept. 13), unless a deal is reached.

PAX took this concern to Air Canada yesterday, and in an emailed statement, company spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said the airline doesn’t expect a large number of flights to be impacted initially.

As well, any customers that are impacted by flight cancellations “would be protected under our normal policies,” he said.

Fort Lauderdale to Toronto = $2,000

But uncertainty remains, which has led Probert to find flights with other carriers for his customers. And, as expected, the options are slim (and expensive).

Probert said he saw a one-way full-fare ticket from Fort Lauderdale to Toronto with a competing airline next Monday going for $2,000.

Some of his clients are looking at renting cars to get places, but those prices, too, are “going through the roof,” Probert said.

Air Canada, meanwhile, said it will try and arrange options with other carriers to secure space for impacted customers if their network, indeed, shuts down.

However: “Seats on other carriers are expected to be very limited across all airlines,” Air Canada said earlier this week.

Refunds or a future travel credit, or agreeing to travel on Air Canada at a later date, “may be the only options.”

“Travel insurance is so important”

If anything, the situation is a cautionary tale to always sell (and buy) travel insurance, Probert said. 

Probert’s agency swears by Manulife’s premium protection plan, which is covering the added costs that his customers will incur if they’re stranded somewhere if Air Canada’s operations shut down.

Premium protection is “the best,” said Probert, but Manulife’s all-inclusive and non-medical would also protect travellers.  

However: only those ones who purchased insurance, long ago, are covered in this situation. 

Those who want to travel now, and want to buy insurance, can still obtain coverage. But they won’t be protected by anything strike-related now that Air Canada’s possible pilot strike is a known event, Probert noted.

“We will get our clients home,” Probert said. “But they may have to stay a couple of days in destination [if a strike happens]. This is another example of why selling travel insurance is so important.”

Waiting for an answer

For travellers and travel advisors, there’s never a convenient time for an airline strike.

While one could argue that September is the “better month” for flight disruptions, now that the summer rush is over, thousands of travel plans will still be impacted if a strike occurs.  

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operate close to 670 daily flights (on average) and carry more than 110,000 passengers within Canada and internationally.

And, as it has been well documented, more travellers these days are taking vacations during shoulder months, like September, to avoid the crowds of summer.

The travel industry, too, is in flight mode as several major conferences are unfolding this month, including TravelOnly and Ensemble’s symposiums in Las Vegas, happening this week and next.

GX, G Adventures’ community tourism summit, is also taking place later this month in India.

In conversations PAX has had with industry insiders, many attendees who are set to these events had flights booked with Air Canada.

For now, all travel advisors can do is wait for Air Canada and its pilots to work things out.   

“Agents will be up all night waiting for this decision,” Probert said.

“Knuckle down and get a deal”

Canada’s federal Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon said Tuesday that he’s “very optimistic” a strike by Air Canada pilots can be averted.

“There is absolutely no reason these parties cannot come to a negotiated agreement,” the minister said, speaking to reporters at a Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C.

“My position is that they should do the work necessary to relieve Canadians of the considerable uncertainty that this causes with respect to travel, with respect to economic issues, and to bear down, knuckle down and get a deal.”

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