Air Canada travel waiver as restart nears full schedule

Published on Aug 22, 2025, 8:49 am CDT

7 min read

Air Canada's mainline operation is back on its feet after the cabin-crew strike, with a near full schedule expected by Friday. Some irregular operations remain as aircraft and crews return to plan. The carrier has published an expanded Air Canada travel waiver, temporary refund rules, and limited reimbursement for self-booked alternatives to help clear the backlog. Here is what is operating now, plus the dates and options that matter most if your trip was hit.

Key Points

Why it matters: Operations are restarting, and the current Air Canada travel waiver can save change fees.
Travel impact: Residual delays and rolling cancellations continue as the schedule stabilizes through next week.
What's next: Full normalization is expected within days, with hubs at Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver prioritized.
New refunds apply to tickets issued by August 15 for travel August 16 to 21.
Limited reimbursement exists for reasonable self-booked alternatives within five days if Air Canada could not rebook you.

Snapshot

Air Canada says it will operate close to its full network by Friday, August 22, after a mediated settlement ended the flight-attendant strike on August 19. The airline warns it may still cancel select flights over the next week while it rebuilds rotations and positions crews. As of a 7:00 a.m. EDT update on August 22, Air Canada reported more than 157,000 customers rebooked during the disruption, over 137,000 calls handled, and a dashboard showing core hubs trending toward full operation. To clear the backlog, the carrier activated an Air Canada travel waiver that allows free changes into late September on many itineraries, issued a narrow refundable-fare window tied to mid-August travel dates, and added a temporary reimbursement path for reasonable costs, including hotels, meals, and, in specific cases, self-purchased tickets on other airlines.

Background

The strike suspended Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flying for several days beginning August 16, while Air Canada Express services operated by Jazz and PAL largely continued. Ottawa pushed the parties into mediation, and a tentative deal allowed a phased restart on August 19. The airline withdrew financial guidance and focused resources on customer recovery, leaning on partners to add seats. Expect earlier stability on banked domestic and transborder flows into Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), with long-haul rebuilds following as aircraft and crews are re-timed. For additional timeline context and traveler tactics, see our earlier reporting, Air Canada strike ends, gradual restart begins and Air Canada strike settlement: rolling restart and refunds. Recovery typically lags a headline deal by several days, especially when rotations were parked and cabin crews hit duty-time limits.

Latest Developments

Restart timeline and remaining irregular operations

Air Canada's latest public update indicates operations have restarted systemwide and will be near a full schedule by Friday, August 22. The carrier still anticipates select cancellations and delays through the coming week while it completes crew and aircraft repositioning, then rebuilds normal banks at YYZ, YUL, and YVR. Air Canada's restart dashboard highlights customer throughput and rebooking volumes, signaling substantial progress but not a clean slate. Independent reporting likewise points to a one-week window to fully normalize, which aligns with typical post-shutdown ramp dynamics. Travelers booked on long-haul or thinly served routes should continue to monitor flight status closely, since those rotations are the last to stabilize. Express operations on Jazz and PAL have provided a regional backstop and continue to operate, which helps feed mainline banks as capacity returns.

Air Canada travel waiver and refund options, what is active now

Change without fees. If your original travel was August 15 to 22, 2025, you can move to August 23 to September 30, 2025 on Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge in the same cabin at no charge, if you change at least two hours before your original departure. If your travel was August 20 to September 30, 2025 and you now want to depart sooner, you may change free to an Air Canada flight August 20 to 24.

Refunds. If your ticket was issued on or before August 15, 2025, and your original travel dates were August 16 to 21, 2025, Air Canada permits a full refund of the unused portion, regardless of fare type.

Self-booked alternatives and expenses. If Air Canada cancelled your flight scheduled August 15 to 23 and could not rebook you within five days, the airline has opened a temporary process to reimburse a reasonable fare on another carrier, plus reasonable hotel and meal costs for affected travelers. Submitted claims require receipts and are evaluated for reasonableness.

Interline, WestJet provisions, and the 48-hour rule

For agency-handled tickets, Air Canada has enabled reprotection rules that expand flexibility during this period. Agents may rebook customers to WestJet within 72 hours of the original departure on most classes, and may rebook to alternate airports within the same continent under the published disruption policy. Standard rebooking windows are ±30 days from the original travel date, with fare rule elements like advance purchase and change fees largely waived inside the window. Separately, Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations require large carriers to rebook passengers within 48 hours on their own flights or partners, otherwise to rebook on another airline or provide a refund, which underpins much of Air Canada's automated rebooking. If you were rebooked and do not like the new itinerary, you may search alternatives or request a refund or travel credit within the airline's published paths.

Analysis

For travelers, the practical question is whether to hold the rebooking you have, to push into the free window in late August and September, or to seek a refund. If your trip is time sensitive and you received an itinerary more than five days after your original departure, Air Canada's temporary reimbursement path for self-booked alternatives gives you a structured way to get moving, provided you book the most reasonable option and keep receipts. If your travel is discretionary, moving into the August 23 to September 30 free-change window can reduce stress, since seat maps will repopulate as aircraft and crews settle back into rotation. Refund eligibility is narrow by design, centered on tickets issued by August 15 and travel August 16 to 21, so do not assume broad refunds beyond that slice.

Agency-side tools matter this week. The WestJet reprotection and broader interline ladder increase odds of a same-week solution on constrained routes, especially transborder spokes with Star Alliance and non-alliance partners. Watch for hidden gotchas, like cabin mismatches or sister-city airport swaps, and confirm that changes remain continuous journeys to preserve entitlements. Finally, remember the legal floor. Under the APPR, if a large carrier cannot move you within 48 hours, you can insist on a refund or rebooking on another airline. Combining that baseline with the current Air Canada travel waiver is the fastest way to a workable plan.

Final Thoughts

The worst of the disruption is over, but schedule cleanup always trails a strike by several days. If you can be flexible, the no-fee window into late September is your easiest path. If time is critical, use the temporary reimbursement option for reasonable self-booked alternatives when Air Canada cannot confirm seats quickly. Keep receipts, act at least two hours before the original departure when changing, and verify that any reroute preserves origin and destination to protect your rights. With hubs stabilizing and partners adding lift, travelers should see steady improvement through next week under the Air Canada travel waiver.