Air Canada has bolstered its compensation policy for passengers who were affected by the recent strike action to cover accommodation and out-of-pocket costs.
The airline resumed operations on Tuesday evening (19 August) after reaching an agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 cabin crew.
The following day, it announced that it was launching a policy that would go towards covering transportation expenses incurred during the disruption.
It has now updated its compensation policy to cover ‘reasonable additional accommodation and out-of-pocket expenses’.
Air Canada Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Mark Nasr said: “Earlier this week, we put in place a special commitment to reimburse out-of-pocket transportation costs, including on other airlines, rail, ground or ferries.
“Today, we are taking another step forward, delivering with our policies to make things right. This updated plan includes reimbursement for reasonable accommodation, meals, necessary transportation and other costs.”
Claims must be made through the airline’s customer relations portal, with receipts.
Air Canada said it hopes to address claims ‘as quickly as possible’, however, due to the anticipated volume, it may require ‘up to four to six weeks’.
Customers whose flights were cancelled have been offered a full refund.
The airline, which estimates that at least 500,000 passengers were affected by the strikes, expects to deliver close to its full schedule today.
