Partner (Air Canada) Rewards Flight Cancelled - I prefer an alternate solution - is it realistic?

[yaziyo]

Hi there - I'd like to get your input on a cancelled rewards flight/schedule change, as I've booked a stack of rewards flights with QFF before, but this is the first time I've booked one on Velocity Points so I'm not sure of the best way to solve my issue.

The Situation: We booked a rewards flight with Velocity Points many months ago on an Air Canada flight from Quebec City to Vancouver. Now (3 weeks before the flight) AC has cancelled the flight - they're not flying the route that day any more (or at all, I'm not sure). I have been put on another Air Canada flight. The issue was that the original flight was a very pleasant direct flight (AC395) leaving around 7PM. The replacement flight (Quebec to Montreal, Montreal to Vancouver) departs the next day at 5AM which, as you can imagine, I'm far less enthused about as it will mean an ungodly early wake up, rebooking accommodation and losing time in Vancouver. The options I was presented was to take this change, or take a refund.

Now, Air Canada does fly flights on the day of the existing booking that would get me from Quebec to Vancouver at a schedule much closer to the original booking - they sell an itinerary leaving roughly 2PM, connecting through Toronto and arriving to Vancouver the same evening as the original booking. I called up Virgin, and of course no rewards seats so my options are to accept the changes or get a refund.

With false confidence that I knew my options, I asked them to raise an escalation to Air Canada to put me on that alternate itinerary instead of what they've automatically put me on. It took me a lot of going around in circles with the call centre agent before they agreed to do it (and to be frank, my confidence that she even captured my ask properly isn't that high).

So for those who are more experienced with Velocity's reward flights:

- Is my ask reasonable?

- Is there any chance they'll actually come through?

- Are there any extra steps I should try to get the outcome I'm after? (e.g. submit a complaint, try through some different team).

Thanks in advance.

 

[I love to travel]

Its a long shot but you could ring Air Canada and ask them to change it at their end and then Velocity can reissue the ticket, Be prepared for a long wait time but worth a shot.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Its a long shot but you could ring Air Canada and ask them to change it at their end and then Velocity can reissue the ticket, Be prepared for a long wait time but worth a shot.

I’m thinking this, too.

There is of course the Canada bill of rights for travel delay and cancellations… a little bit similar to EU261, but with massive carve-outs for safety-related delays.

Info here: Flight Disruptions

If the re-booked alternative is not suitable, pax can contact Air Canada for an alternative.

Do I trust VA to do that! Absolutely not unfortunately.

So maybe the passenger can make an exploratory call of their own to AC to check the options… or at least ask what actions VA needs to take.

But be prepared for long call wait times without status to Air canada… can be two hours or more

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Agree with above --- best option (relative term) in these cases is typically to ring the operating carrier and ask nicely if they can move you as a result of their disruption to a different alternative and then process it as an involuntary schedule change that will then filter through to VA to "accept" and reissue.

Given AC at least moved you to something rather than simply cancel the flight and say there there is no "new" reward availability at least suggests some willingness to accommodate, which is a good start. Thank them for that and ask if they can please just look at options that you have found that have you arriving/departing closer to the original time.

I've had it take more than one attempt but in the 3 or 4 cases this has happened to me in the last few years on tickets with points, the operating carrier has always been the one to solve it. In only one case have I ever gotten the ticketing carrier to successfully follow up with the operating carrier, and that was Asiana calling ANA on my behalf. I've never had QF or VA even pretend to bother.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Agree with above --- best option (relative term) in these cases is typically to ring the operating carrier and ask nicely if they can move you as a result of their disruption to a different alternative and then process it as an involuntary schedule change that will then filter through to VA to "accept" and reissue.

Given AC at least moved you to something rather than simply cancel the flight and say there there is no "new" reward availability at least suggests some willingness to accommodate, which is a good start. Thank them for that and ask if they can please just look at options that you have found that have you arriving/departing closer to the original time.

I've had it take more than one attempt but in the 3 or 4 cases this has happened to me in the last few years on tickets with points, the operating carrier has always been the one to solve it. In only one case have I ever gotten the ticketing carrier to successfully follow up with the operating carrier, and that was Asiana calling ANA on my behalf. I've never had QF or VA even pretend to bother.

Errr… no! AC is obligated under both their contract of carriage and under the Canadian air passenger bill of rights to reaccommodate the passenger on another service.

There’s no ‘thank yous’ necessary for that!

Their own page - referenced above - says they will move pax to other flights if the automatic ones aren’t suitable.

The problem is that they may be viewing VA as an ‘agent’ and want the passenger to deal with VA.

Fingers crossed for the OP!

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Errr… no! AC is obligated under both their contract of carriage and under the Canadian air passenger bill of rights to reaccommodate the passenger on another service.

There’s no ‘thank yous’ necessary for that!

Their own page - referenced above - says they will move pax to other flights if the automatic ones aren’t suitable.

The problem is that they may be viewing VA as an ‘agent’ and want the passenger to deal with VA.

Fingers crossed for the OP!

Yes, that's all correct, and a simple "thank you" can also go a long way to helping you get what you want with minimal friction or needing to complain to an ombudsman. I've had to deal with AC far more than I'd like, so the advice is intended to help the OP get what they want, not flatter an AC agent.