How to get a flight back to Canada without paying price difference

googlemap wrote: ↑ My parents went overseas in January and had their returning flight to Canada in May.

However, air Canada cancelled all their returning flight.

When my parents called them, they said that they can give credit. However, we checked all air Canada flight this year, if they want to return to canada, they need to pay extra $1300 per ticket.

Since the cancellation is by the airline, can we ask them to rebook to another day without paying the price difference?

If you know the flight they want, then yes you should be able to.

same boat, tried several times, no luck. AC push hard to change to credit or e-coupon....

Contact the local canadian embassy for assistance in returning to canada.

apnayloags wrote: ↑ Contact the local canadian embassy for assistance in returning to canada.

And ask what, exactly?

To call AC and force them to reduce fares? To send out JT’s plane to come fetch someone who has access to many reasonable alternatives?

Aside from registering to notify them you’re still out of the country, this isn’t an embassy problem... just A/C agents following “policy”.

Have your parent been living under a rock the past 3 months?

https://globalnews.ca/news/6677983/coro ... el-abroad/



What argument does your parents have? That they were not warned?

https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/f ... x?lang=eng

Question 9 - If I am a Canadian citizen, will the Embassy of Canada in France assist me to find flight information and buy or change an airline ticket to return to Canada?
No. Unfortunately, the Embassy cannot do this for you. Consular services at the Embassy, particularly in the current circumstances, must focus on assisting Canadians in distress requiring urgent assistance and therefore can neither accompany or replace you in seeking or trying to change a flight. Such travel arrangements are entirely your responsibility. You will find general information about air traffic from France to Canada at question 11. This information is collected and updated daily from airlines and other relevant stakeholders.

They should just pay it, get home (and quarantine themselves for 2 weeks) and take the 1300$ as a small lesson learned for not heeding official travel advice

Your parents only option is to call Air Canada and see if they will offer them anything, that's it.

apnayloags wrote: ↑ Contact the local canadian embassy for assistance in returning to canada.

They won't do much if anything. They just keep telling you about the 5K loan program if you need money for a flight. I been stuck for 2 months and just a notice of a flight from the local embassy but at a cost of 6K for the flight. Just hoping once the country opens up I can come back at a better price.

Firebot wrote: ↑ Have your parent been living under a rock the past 3 months?

https://globalnews.ca/news/6677983/coro ... el-abroad/



What argument does your parents have? That they were not warned?

https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/f ... x?lang=eng



They should just pay it, get home (and quarantine themselves for 2 weeks) and take the 1300$ as a small lesson learned for not heeding official travel advice

Your parents only option is to call Air Canada and see if they will offer them anything, that's it.

a few of my friends had flights home from Fla booked on return dates after AC announce they were going to stop flying..AC gave them notice and the option of credit or a flight on the last day they were flying...i am sure they did the same with all points and passengers to come home...I

It's difficult to believe that people would have been completely oblivious to the world going on around them vis à vis the pandemic, warnings and notices from the Government of Canada and the diminishing air service as we moved through mid-March and onward. In that light, it's difficult to have much sympathy for travelers that ignored all the information.

My wife and I were in a similar situation with a flight home from an international location scheduled for late April. When the news came recommending Canadians get their asses home in mid-March, we booked a flight and returned home on our own terms rather than hoping or waiting for some other option to come along or somebody to bail us out.

I don't blame the parents. They probably thought this would all be over by May. A lot of people thought that way.

lpin14 wrote: ↑ I don't blame the parents. They probably thought this would all be over by May. A lot of people thought that way.

Depends where they are. I know people stuck in the Philippines who had to pay thousands of dollars to be able to go home, which also means transiting through airports with lots of people. Much safe and cheaper for them to stay on their island in the Philippines until things improve.

apnayloags wrote: ↑Contact the local canadian embassy for assistance in returning to canada.

FYI ... @Firebot & @Killer_Saves got it right

Firebot wrote: ↑Have your parent been living under a rock the past 3 months?

https://globalnews.ca/news/6677983/coro ... el-abroad/



What argument does your parents have? That they were not warned?

https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/f ... x?lang=eng

Question 9 - If I am a Canadian citizen, will the Embassy of Canada in France assist me to find flight information and buy or change an airline ticket to return to Canada?

No. Unfortunately, the Embassy cannot do this for you. Consular services at the Embassy, particularly in the current circumstances, must focus on assisting Canadians in distress requiring urgent assistance and therefore can neither accompany or replace you in seeking or trying to change a flight. Such travel arrangements are entirely your responsibility. You will find general information about air traffic from France to Canada at question 11. This information is collected and updated daily from airlines and other relevant stakeholders.

They should just pay it, get home (and quarantine themselves for 2 weeks) and take the 1300$ as a small lesson learned for not heeding official travel advice

Your parents only option is to call Air Canada and see if they will offer them anything, that's it.

Op...

Canada has already done their bit ... by sending out the TRAVEL ADVISORIES in March, telling Cdns to COME HOME NOW

Those that had issues, were then to inform the local Embassies & Consultates to register.
(Canada is still working to bring home some Cdns that did so back in March, and still stranded )

Your parents seemingly CHOSE not to heed the warnings to come home ... so now they are SOL as far as getting Canada to fight for them

Killer_Saves wrote: ↑ They won't do much if anything. They just keep telling you about the 5K loan program if you need money for a flight. I been stuck for 2 months and just a notice of a flight from the local embassy but at a cost of 6K for the flight. Just hoping once the country opens up I can come back at a better price.

And this.

Best case scenario for many is to be told ... they can get a loan from Canada up to $ 5 K per person so as to facilitate return

After that, it’s up to the Cdn Abroad to chart their course of action

Honestly, your Parents made the wrong choice ... staying when the Govt of Canada issued the COME HOME NOW ADVISORY

They should have just taken the loss for cancelling plans as so many other Cdn Travellers / Snowbirds did at the time

Now their choices are even more limited / expensive.

Hard to feel sorry for them. Canada rarely issues a worldwide travel advisory ... let alone a COME HOME ORDER. They should have heeded it

Conquistador wrote: ↑ It's difficult to believe that people would have been completely oblivious to the world going on around them vis à vis the pandemic, warnings and notices from the Government of Canada and the diminishing air service as we moved through mid-March and onward. In that light, it's difficult to have much sympathy for travelers that ignored all the information.

My wife and I were in a similar situation with a flight home from an international location scheduled for late April. When the news came recommending Canadians get their asses home in mid-March, we booked a flight and returned home on our own terms rather than hoping or waiting for some other option to come along or somebody to bail us out.

It’s too bad OP didn’t mention which country parents were stuck in. Not only because other countries have far stronger passenger protection laws than Canada, but...

It’s entirely possible that they felt (and are) safer in that country than in Canada. Lots of Americans living in Japan or Korea laughed when their US embassy said to get back to USA as soon as you can.

Meanwhile, OP’s parents may also be citizens of another first world (non-US) nation. Now what? Country1 is telling its citizens in country2 to return while country2 is telling its citizens in country1 to return. Now what? Becomes a real (and valid) “stay, stay for now or go?” situation.