Air Canada waives change fees at seven airports after FAA outage

In response to the fallout from Friday’s U.S. air-traffic-control failure, Air Canada on Saturday, November 14, introduced a 48-hour flexible-booking policy covering flights affected on November 13 – 14 at Halifax, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, St. John’s, Calgary and Vancouver. Customers can retrieve their booking online or via the mobile app and move to alternate flights free of charge, subject to seat availability. Air Canada confirmed it had cancelled 73 U.S.-bound flights on Friday and a further 35 by mid-morning Saturday; additional cancellations are possible as the network recovers. The policy also extends to Air Canada Vacations packages and to itineraries transiting U.S. airspace en route to the Caribbean or South America. Corporate travel managers welcomed the move, noting that Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) guarantee refunds only when flight disruptions are within the carrier’s control; because the ground stop originated with the FAA, yesterday’s cancellations are classed as “outside carrier control,” limiting statutory compensation. Air Canada’s voluntary waiver therefore provides a critical buffer for time-sensitive business trips. Travellers are being urged to rebook via self-service channels before calling contact centres, where hold times remain lengthy. The airline also recommends arriving early at airports with U.S. pre-clearance, as re-accommodated passengers are expected to increase queue times this weekend. WestJet and Flair had not posted comparable waivers at time of publication, though both carriers said they were contacting impacted customers directly. From a mobility-program perspective, employers should update traveller tracking data to reflect new flight numbers, verify that emergency-contact details remain accurate, and remind staff to retain receipts for meals and hotels in case claims become permissible later. Immigration status is unaffected: electronic travel authorisations (eTAs) and visas tied to cancelled flights remain valid for the rebooked date.