A couple who was forced to play planes, trains, and automobiles with their travel plans ahead of a strike by Air Canada flight attendants last summer say they’re still out $1,500, in a situation an air passenger rights advocate says should serve as a warning ahead of potential flight disruptions this weekend at WestJet. Toronto’s Marianne Saavedra and Dhillon Persad had booked Air Canada flights for themselves and their young daughter from Toronto to Miami nearly a year in advance for an August 2025 cruise to the Bahamas. But when Air Canada flight attendants went on strike, the couple said they were worried they would miss their cruise, particularly because both Saavedra and a friend travelling with them were pregnant and each family was travelling with a young child. Rather than wait until the last moment, they cancelled their Air Canada booking themselves and drove to Cleveland, where they caught a flight to Miami with a different carrier. They said the change in their itinerary required booking additional accommodation in Miami, paying parking fees in Cleveland, and other travel costs. They also claim Air Canada waited until less than 12 hours before their flight to cancel it, even though flight attendants had walked off the job. “When we were at the airport in Cleveland, that’s when we got the notification that our flight was cancelled,” Persad said. Air Canada provided flight credit for the cancelled booking, they said, but declined to reimburse roughly $1,500 in additional expenses, including the hotel and parking costs. The couple said they submitted receipts and appealed the decision but were told they were not eligible for further compensation. “We cancelled our flights because (Air Canada was) cancelling flights the day of, and we needed to be able to get to our cruise,” Persad said. “Even if we didn’t cancel our flight, you cancelled our flight.” Adding to their frustration, Persad said the other family travelling with them under what they described as nearly identical circumstances was eventually reimbursed. “It was one of those situations where we got so angry, we actually just had to laugh about, like, how stupid this was,” Persad told CTV News. Saavedra calls their treatment unfortunate. “I’m a loyal Aeroplan member,” she said. “It’s frustrating and upsetting.” The couple says Air Canada informed them it only provides compensation for expenses incurred “in transit.” The airline did not consider accommodation the couple needed to book in Miami due to the change in their schedule applicable. Air Canada told CTV News in a statement “As the passengers elected to cancel their travel themselves, the value of the tickets were refunded to their AC Wallet as a credit and no additional expenses are payable for new tickets purchased on another airline.” Don’t ‘jump the gun’ advocate says Air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs said the couple’s experience is a teachable moment for WestJet travellers potentially dealing with a similar situation in the coming days. “If they actually cancelled before Air Canada cancelled, they’re already at Air Canada’s mercy,” Lukacs said. He said passengers’ rights under the Montreal Convention and Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations generally apply when the airline cancels the flight, not when the passenger voluntarily cancels first. “If you jump the gun and do something before the airline cancels, you are essentially screwed.” Lukacs said travellers who are facing a potential disruption should generally avoid accepting refunds or cancelling bookings before the airline acts if they hope to later be reimbursed for alternate transportation costs. “The airtight approach… is to wait until your flight is cancelled, give (the airline) a chance to rebook you, and if they fail to do so or tell you we don’t have any seats, then buy yourself a ticket on a different airline,” he said. Lukacs said airlines often play a “game of chicken” with passengers, over who will cancel first. “They’re hoping the passenger will veer off first, if you think of two cars driving toward each other,” he said. “And then they can save money.” Couple hopes others can avoid being left on the hook Saavedra said she hopes sharing their experience helps others avoid months of frustration and the potential loss of thousands of dollars. “We all work hard for our money,” she said. “It’s not fair for us to be treated like this.” Persad suggested travellers keep receipts, document “everything,” and push back if they don’t think they’re being treated fairly.
