shaycamp21
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2005
- Messages
- 1,098
We were impacted today by the Air Canada strike and had our flight home cancelled. After a great WDW trip and Caribbean cruise (on Carnival) we spent the final days of our cruise stressing about the upcoming strike. We had spotty wifi on the ship and could barely even open the Air Canada app. When in port there was no option to change our flights and the toll free AC number did not work in the Caribbean. We did look up other airlines to YYZ but prices were crazy WJ flights were $1700 pp (today they were over $2300).
Surprisingly, we were still able to check into our flight last night (which was supposed to leave later tonight). Once we got off the ship this am our flight was still saying it was on time and we headed to the airport hoping maybe we could change it to an earlier flight since 1pm was when we heard the strike would begin.
On our ride share to the airport we got a text from AC basically saying our flight was cancelled and don’t come to the airport and that they would try to rebook us but it may take up to 3 days. Um too late for that we were already on our way. Upon arriving at FLL we got this text:
“….. your booking on AC1629 to Toronto(YYZ) was cancelled as there are business or operational changes to the planned flight schedule.
We're very sorry, but after searching for flights on over 120 airlines for three days before and after your cancelled flight, we've been unable to rebook you.
Visit https://www.aircanada.com/home/ca/en/aco/trips or check your email for refund options.
Learn more about your rights during disruptions: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/flight-information/flight-disruptions.”
The AC agent though sympathetic wasn’t much help — he said there was no way we could get a flight to Toronto but he could try to get us more north like to JFK or Newark but then we’d be on our own and even suggested we rent a car and try to drive to Buffalo to Florida — um that was a hard no —so there was basically nothing they could or would do.
My husband then looked up flights on Southwest and we were very fortunate that we were able to book flights to Buffalo that had a 4 hr layover in Tampa leaving at 11:35 am (it was 9:45 at this point) so we raced across the to next terminal to check our bags, get through security and onto the flight. In Tampa, we looked into bus schedules from Buf to TO but there was nothing leaving until the next day. All car rentals allowing a Toronto drop off were sold out and we even contemplated ubering to the rainbow bridge and walking with our suitcases across and taking the Niagara GO. Hotels were expensive so we ended up finding a company that would pick us up at the Buffalo airport and drop us off at Pearson then had a family member pick us up and take us home. It wasn’t cheap but less than hotel + bus and much less hassle.
It was an exhausting day of travel which was supposed to be a relaxing last day at beach resort (I had to cancel the dayroom we booked). However, I am thankful that we made it home and we were very lucky to have found flights on SW that didn’t break the bank. I imagine many people were left stranded with fewer options. I don’t fault the flight attendants, they deserve a fair wage, but the way Air Canada just washed their hands of it and were just like sorry we can’t help you figure it out and not have to offer any compensation just seems wrong.
We booked our flights with Visa points so the only refund we were able to get was for the taxes we paid for our flights. Hopefully we can get our points reimbursed. We did have trip cancellation / interruption insurance so we’ll see if it covers our other expenses (not sure if labour disputes are covered).
What is ironic is we have NEVER flown Air Canada to Florida — we always have flown with Southwest out of Buffalo (and a couple times from Detroit). This time we didn’t because of everything that had been going on south of the border (we were on the fence about even taking this trip). I guess if we had booked with Southwest as we usually do we could have avoided this whole mess.
Surprisingly, we were still able to check into our flight last night (which was supposed to leave later tonight). Once we got off the ship this am our flight was still saying it was on time and we headed to the airport hoping maybe we could change it to an earlier flight since 1pm was when we heard the strike would begin.
On our ride share to the airport we got a text from AC basically saying our flight was cancelled and don’t come to the airport and that they would try to rebook us but it may take up to 3 days. Um too late for that we were already on our way. Upon arriving at FLL we got this text:
“….. your booking on AC1629 to Toronto(YYZ) was cancelled as there are business or operational changes to the planned flight schedule.
We're very sorry, but after searching for flights on over 120 airlines for three days before and after your cancelled flight, we've been unable to rebook you.
Visit https://www.aircanada.com/home/ca/en/aco/trips or check your email for refund options.
Learn more about your rights during disruptions: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/fly/flight-information/flight-disruptions.”
The AC agent though sympathetic wasn’t much help — he said there was no way we could get a flight to Toronto but he could try to get us more north like to JFK or Newark but then we’d be on our own and even suggested we rent a car and try to drive to Buffalo to Florida — um that was a hard no —so there was basically nothing they could or would do.
My husband then looked up flights on Southwest and we were very fortunate that we were able to book flights to Buffalo that had a 4 hr layover in Tampa leaving at 11:35 am (it was 9:45 at this point) so we raced across the to next terminal to check our bags, get through security and onto the flight. In Tampa, we looked into bus schedules from Buf to TO but there was nothing leaving until the next day. All car rentals allowing a Toronto drop off were sold out and we even contemplated ubering to the rainbow bridge and walking with our suitcases across and taking the Niagara GO. Hotels were expensive so we ended up finding a company that would pick us up at the Buffalo airport and drop us off at Pearson then had a family member pick us up and take us home. It wasn’t cheap but less than hotel + bus and much less hassle.
It was an exhausting day of travel which was supposed to be a relaxing last day at beach resort (I had to cancel the dayroom we booked). However, I am thankful that we made it home and we were very lucky to have found flights on SW that didn’t break the bank. I imagine many people were left stranded with fewer options. I don’t fault the flight attendants, they deserve a fair wage, but the way Air Canada just washed their hands of it and were just like sorry we can’t help you figure it out and not have to offer any compensation just seems wrong.
We booked our flights with Visa points so the only refund we were able to get was for the taxes we paid for our flights. Hopefully we can get our points reimbursed. We did have trip cancellation / interruption insurance so we’ll see if it covers our other expenses (not sure if labour disputes are covered).
What is ironic is we have NEVER flown Air Canada to Florida — we always have flown with Southwest out of Buffalo (and a couple times from Detroit). This time we didn’t because of everything that had been going on south of the border (we were on the fence about even taking this trip). I guess if we had booked with Southwest as we usually do we could have avoided this whole mess.
