Air Canada flight cancellation claim.

[Cowley]

Evening everyone.

My partner and I travelled back from Vancouver Island a couple of weeks ago and the itinerary should have been:
Victoria - Vancouver
Vancouver - Montreal
Montreal - Heathrow

Unfortunately our Vancouver to Montreal flight was cancelled while we were at the airport and we eventually got back to Heathrow about 28 hours later than we should have arrived after they’d rebooked us onto a direct flight.

I’ve put a claim in for our overnight accommodation and a meal etc, but unfortunately it seems that we’re not entitled to any delay compensation due to it being an aircraft maintenance issue (as in safety related) and therefore not covered.

This was what the last text said:

We're sorry as a part of your itinerary has changed due to aircraft maintenance and we have automatically rebooked you on another flight. We apologize for the inconvenience.

So I was wondering if those of you ‘in the know’ would just leave it at this point as I won’t get anywhere complaining about it. Or is there anything else that I should be trying..?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I'd make a polite request to them for a goodwill payment on account of the inconvenience.

 

[Cowley]

I'd make a polite request to them for a goodwill payment on account of the inconvenience.

Yes I guess that might be worth a go.

 

[Watershed]

Unfortunately there isn't an equivalent of EU261/UK261 in Canada, so if travelling with a non-EU/UK airline, you are pretty much beholden to any goodwill gesture the airline is willing to offer. This is one reason why it can be advantageous to book on an EU/UK based airline for your return journey - one of 261's many inconsistencies is that journeys departing the EU/UK are covered regardless of airline, but for those arriving in the EU/UK, only EU/UK based carriers are coveered.

 

[Cowley]

Unfortunately there isn't an equivalent of EU261/UK261 in Canada, so if travelling with a non-EU/UK airline, you are pretty much beholden to any goodwill gesture the airline is willing to offer. This is one reason why it can be advantageous to book on an EU/UK based airline for your return journey - one of 261's many inconsistencies is that journeys departing the EU/UK are covered regardless of airline, but for those arriving in the EU/UK, only EU/UK based carriers are coveered.

Yes that’s how it is by the looks of things. I will email them next week but it’s very much a live and learn situation I think…