Claiming compensation from Air Canada

Air Canada is a large carrier under Canada’s APPR: $400–$1,000 per passenger for late arrivals, $900–$2,400 for denied boarding. In the CTA’s most recent published year, Air Canada drew 4.6 complaints per 100 flights.

Before you claim

• Check the flight’s actual record first — arrival delay at your final destination, the aircraft’s inbound rotation, the weather. It tells you what the claim is worth and whether the airline’s stated reason survives contact with the data. The checker does it in seconds, free.
• You have 1 year from the disruption, and amounts are per passenger on the booking.

Where to submit

Channel: aircanada.com/customerrelations

• 1. Go to aircanada.com/customerrelations and choose the flight delay/cancellation claim option (their claim portal opens from there — deep links to it are unreliable).
• 2. Enter your booking reference and flight details exactly as on your reservation.
• 3. Paste the claim letter into the description/comments field.
• 4. Submit one claim per passenger on the booking.
• 5. Save the confirmation/reference number the portal shows.

The traps

• · If offered an eCoupon/voucher at inflated value: you're entitled to money — vouchers only with your written agreement (APPR s. 21).
• · Air Canada's compensation offers frequently arrive as eCoupons at inflated face value. You are entitled to money — vouchers require your written agreement, must exceed the cash value, and can never expire (APPR s. 21).
• · Large-carrier amounts apply across the Air Canada family, including Rouge and Jazz-operated flights.

The 30-day clock, and what a denial really means

Air Canada must respond within 30 days with payment or the specific reason none is owed. A denial is an opening position, not a ruling — the airline bears the burden of proving its category with evidence, and denials follow eight predictable patterns, each with a factual counter. If the refusal holds, the escalation lanes are small claims court or a CTA complaint.