You may cancel your purchase of tickets up to 24 hours after purchase and Air Canada will provide you with a full refund without penalty. This policy applies to refundable as well as non-refundable fares. Please ensure you verify your booking confirmation for any error as soon as it is received in order to avail yourself of this free cancellation. If you wish to cancel, or if you did not receive an itinerary receipt, simply contact Air Canada within 24 hours after purchase for assistance.

Changes made to itineraries more than 24 hours after purchase will be assessed the current change fee regardless of when the tickets were purchased and regardless of the reason for the cancellation or change (subject to certain limited exceptions). Such changes could also be subject to fare differentials.

Air Canada will itself process the refund for tickets purchased directly from Air Canada. For tickets issued via a travel agency or another airline, you must cancel and request your refund through the travel agency or that airline.

Air Canada will process eligible refunds —including refunding fees charged to you for optional services that you were unable to use due to an oversell situation. or for a flight cancellation or delay of three hours or more— back to the original method of payment. This may mean a refund to the travel agency from whom you purchased the ticket.

Unless otherwise mandated by local law, all refunds requested under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations will be provided within 30 days.

Details and contact information on requesting a refund are available on our website or upon request at an Air Canada or Air Canada Express counter at all Canadian airports where we operate.

Flight Disruptions

Note: This section applies to flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express*.

If a flight is delayed or cancelled due to an unforeseen problem, we’ll do our best to keep you well-informed at the airport and on board the affected aircraft. That’s why you must provide your contact information at the time of booking.

Based on the information available, we will promptly provide timely updates, including the reason for the delay or cancellation:

• As soon as we’re aware of such a delay or cancellation, and then;
• At regular intervals of 30 minutes until a new departure time for the flight is set, or new travel arrangements for passengers have been made; and
• As soon as possible when new information is available.

Such information will be available:

• On our website through our Daily Travel Outlook or our Flight Status tool;
• Via onboard/gate announcements;
• Through our Flight Notification Service, for which you may register online to receive notifications on any delay, cancellation or gate change information through your text-messaging-enabled phone or your email address. (You can also have notifications sent to others interested in your travel plans);
• By calling the Air Canada automated Flight Information System at 1-888-422-7533 (Canada or U.S.). For calls from all other countries.

Airport Flight Information Display Systems will also display some information about delays and cancellations.

For more information about flight delays and cancellations, see our General Terms and Conditions of Carriage.

Meeting Essential Needs During Tarmac Delays

Note: This section applies to flights operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express*.

It is never our intention to cause stress or harm to our customers. However, if due to unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances, an aircraft is either unable to take off or be gated upon arrival and must wait for a gate to become available, a contingency plan has been developed to meet the needs of our customers onboard both arriving and departing aircraft.

Air Canada will not permit an aircraft to remain on the tarmac at a Canadian airport for more than three hours (or 3 hours and 45 minutes if departure is imminent) or, at a US airport, for more than four (4) hours. Prior to reaching these timelines, Air Canada will return the aircraft to the gate or another suitable disembarkation point, where passengers will be allowed to deplane.

These timelines do not apply if providing an opportunity for passengers to disembark is not possible, including for reasons related to situations outside carrier’s control, such as safety and security, or air traffic or customs control.

During a tarmac delay, Air Canada will provide passengers, unless it is not possible for reasons related to situations outside carrier’s control, such as safety and security, or air traffic or customs control, with:

• adequate food and potable water in reasonable quantities after the aircraft doors are closed (in the case of departure) or has landed (in the case of arrival);
• proper ventilation and heating or cooling of the cabin;
• the means to communicate with people outside the aircraft, if feasible; and
• access to operable lavatory facilities.

Air Canada will also ensure adequate medical attention is available, if needed.

Passengers will receive notifications regarding the status of the tarmac delay every 30 minutes while the aircraft is delayed, including the reason for the delay, if known. During long “on-aircraft” delays, pilots communicate frequently with Air Canada’s Operations Control Center, Station Operations and/or the Ramp Control Tower to obtain updated information and keep customers informed throughout the delay, and coordinate with involved parties to ensure that the tarmac delay is as short as possible.

*Air Canada Express refers to flights operated by Jazz Aviation LP.