Air Canada pauses seat change and selection fee for limited time
Canadians planning to book a flight in the next few weeks may want to take advantage of a limited-time offer from Air Canada.
The airline announced on Wednesday that it’s offering customers seat changes and standard seat selection for free on flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, and Air Canada Express.
But if you want to take advantage of this, you’ll need to act fast. The carrier is only waiving these fees for bookings made between Aug. 27 and Sept. 12.
According to the company, standard seat selection will be free of charge regardless of the fare type purchased. However, the seat selection must be completed on or before Sept. 12.
This seat change fee was implemented by the company in January, despite an onslaught of complaints from Canadians when it was initially scheduled to take effect.
When it comes to the pause on change fees, travellers will be able to change their flight free of charge — subject to availability in the cabin they originally purchased. The airline notes that a fare difference may apply.
Only one change is allowed within the validity period of your ticket, and the free change only applies to fare brands that allow ticket changes.
It seems that the airline is trying to get back on Canadians’ good side after it cancelled hundreds of flights in anticipation of the flight attendants’ strike on Aug. 16.
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On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the carrier and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents thousands of flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, reached a tentative deal that will begin paying flight attendants for the work they do on the ground before the plane takes off.
The carrier gradually began resuming services that day, ramping up its flights on Wednesday.
It has recently expanded its refund and reimbursement options to cover unplanned expenses resulting from the disruption. This includes overnight accommodations and meal expenses that passengers may have incurred. Visit the airline’s site for more details.
Canadians have been sharing the impact of the flight cancellations in the aftermath of the strike.
One Canadian mom called out the airline for making her miss crucial appointments that would’ve helped her get her father, who has Alzheimer’s, back home to Vancouver and away from the conflict between Iran and Israel. Read more about her experience.