Air Canada Reviews & Complaints

Air Canada is Canada’s largest airline and flag carrier, operating domestic and international flights through major hubs in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver. Its network includes Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and flights marketed as Air Canada Express.

Passenger experiences vary widely. Positive reviews frequently mention the airline’s route network, premium cabins, in-flight entertainment and professional crews. Complaints commonly involve delays, cancellations, missed connections, baggage problems, rebooking, refunds and difficulty obtaining timely customer-service resolutions. ZeroStars allows passengers to rate Air Canada from -5 to +5 stars.

Air Canada is an established international airline with an extensive network and several premium travel options. It can be a practical choice for travel within Canada and for international connections, but passenger reviews frequently describe problems when flights are disrupted or baggage does not arrive as expected.

Travelers should keep receipts, baggage tags, boarding passes and written disruption notices. Depending on the itinerary and cause of the disruption, passengers may have rebooking, refund, care or compensation rights under Canadian or other applicable passenger-protection rules.

• Confirm whether the flight is operated by Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or an Air Canada Express partner.
• Read the fare rules and baggage allowance for every segment.
• Save the complete itinerary and ticket receipt offline.
• Photograph checked baggage and retain every baggage tag.
• Install the Air Canada app and enable flight notifications.
• Keep receipts for reasonable expenses caused by a qualifying disruption or baggage delay.
• Allow additional connection time when changing terminals, clearing customs or traveling during severe weather.

Air Canada serves destinations across Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and other international markets. Its membership in Star Alliance can also provide connections and frequent-flyer benefits through partner airlines.

The experience can depend on the route, aircraft, fare class, airport, operating carrier and whether the trip proceeds normally. Reviews involving an uneventful nonstop flight may differ considerably from experiences involving cancellations, tight connections or delayed baggage.

Favorable passenger reviews commonly mention:

• Extensive route network: Air Canada provides numerous domestic services and international connections through its principal hubs.
• International connectivity: The airline can be particularly useful for passengers connecting between Canadian and overseas destinations.
• Premium cabins: Some travelers praise Signature Class, business-class and premium-economy seating on eligible aircraft.
• In-flight entertainment: Many mainline aircraft provide personal entertainment systems with movies, television programs and music.
• Professional flight crews: Positive reviews frequently recognize helpful flight attendants and pilots.
• Aeroplan: Members can earn and redeem points for Air Canada and eligible partner travel.
• Mobile tools: The Air Canada website and app provide booking management, check-in, boarding passes and flight updates.

Commonly reported complaint themes include:

• Flight delays and cancellations: Passengers describe late departures, missed connections and disrupted travel plans.
• Rebooking difficulties: Customers may face limited alternatives or long waits when many flights are disrupted simultaneously.
• Delayed or missing baggage: Reviews discuss bags that fail to arrive with the passenger, particularly after connecting flights.
• Damaged luggage: Some customers report difficulty documenting damage or completing the claim process.
• Refund delays: Complaints may involve determining eligibility, locating the original ticket seller or waiting for a submitted request.
• Customer-service wait times: Call volumes can become especially heavy during severe weather or widespread disruptions.
• Inconsistent information: Some passengers say different representatives provided conflicting rebooking, baggage or compensation answers.
• Seat and schedule changes: Aircraft substitutions or schedule adjustments can change previously selected seats and connection times.
• Fare restrictions: Customers may be dissatisfied after learning that a lower-cost ticket has restrictive change, refund, seat or baggage rules.
• Aeroplan issues: Complaints can involve award availability, missing points, account access or changes to reward bookings.

These are individual passenger experiences and do not establish that every traveler will encounter the same problems.

If an Air Canada flight is delayed or cancelled, save the notices explaining the disruption and the reason provided by the airline. Compensation and assistance can depend on whether the cause was:

• Within the airline’s control;
• Within the airline’s control but required for safety; or
• Outside the airline’s control, such as certain weather or air-traffic-control events.

Air Canada states that passengers delayed by three hours or more are entitled to be rebooked. Other rights can depend on the circumstances and applicable law.

What to Do During a Disruption

1. Check the Air Canada app and the airport departure board.
2. Save screenshots of every schedule and status change.
3. Record the stated reason for the delay or cancellation.
4. Review the automatic rebooking before accepting it.
5. Ask whether another Air Canada or eligible partner flight is available.
6. Request written information about meals, lodging and transportation when applicable.
7. Keep itemized receipts for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
8. Document the actual arrival time at the final ticketed destination.

Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations may provide compensation for certain delays and cancellations that are within the airline’s control and not required for safety. Air Canada lists potential compensation of:

• C$400: Arrival delayed between three and six hours;
• C$700: Arrival delayed between six and nine hours; and
• C$1,000: Arrival delayed by nine hours or more.

These amounts do not apply to every delay or cancellation. Eligibility depends on the cause, final arrival delay, notice provided, itinerary and other facts. Passengers can use Air Canada’s flight-disruption eligibility tool to submit a claim.

Other rules may apply to international travel. For example, eligible flights departing the European Union, Iceland or Switzerland may be covered by EC Regulation 261/2004. Separate protections may apply to departures from the United Kingdom or to certain U.S. itineraries.

Do not discard receipts, boarding passes, baggage tags or written airline notices until every claim is resolved. A voucher, travel credit, refund and statutory compensation are different remedies.

Read any proposed settlement carefully before accepting it. Avoid paying an unknown third party that promises guaranteed airline compensation or requests unnecessary passport, payment or account information.

Refund rights depend on whether the passenger voluntarily cancels or Air Canada disrupts the itinerary.

Air Canada states that a ticket cancelled within 24 hours of purchase can be refunded to the original payment method. After that period, voluntary refund eligibility generally depends on the fare rules.

An involuntary refund may be available when Air Canada cancels the flight, delays it by three hours or more, changes the itinerary to different airports, adds stopovers or makes certain cabin downgrades.

How to Request an Air Canada Refund

• If the ticket was purchased directly from Air Canada, begin through the booking-management or customer-support system.
• If it was purchased through a travel agency or third-party booking website, contact the original seller.
• Provide the six-character booking reference and ticket number.
• State which unused flights and optional services are included in the request.
• Ask whether accepting a credit would waive a cash-refund option.
• Save the case number and confirmation of submission.

Review Air Canada’s current cancellation and refund policy before deciding whether to cancel or accept another itinerary.

Report a missing checked bag as soon as possible. Air Canada can create a WorldTracer file at the airport or through its online baggage system. Keep the file reference because it is needed to track the bag and submit expenses.

Delayed Baggage Checklist

1. Retain the baggage tag and boarding pass.
2. Create a delayed-baggage report immediately.
3. Confirm the delivery address and contact information.
4. Use the WorldTracer reference to monitor the bag.
5. Keep receipts for reasonable interim necessities.
6. Complete Air Canada’s baggage declaration if the bag remains missing for the period specified by the airline.
7. Do not close the claim until the bag and eligible expenses are addressed.

Air Canada’s baggage number within Canada and the United States is 1-888-689-2247. Passengers can also use the Air Canada baggage recovery system.

Inspect checked luggage before leaving the airport. If damage is visible, report it at the Air Canada baggage counter immediately.

Air Canada states that damage identified after leaving the airport generally must be reported with the bag, boarding information and baggage tag within seven days of arrival. Different procedures may apply outside Canada and the United States.

Photograph the damage and do not dispose of the bag before the claim is resolved. Air Canada says it may repair or replace qualifying damaged baggage and refunds the applicable checked-baggage fee when a bag is delayed, damaged or lost.

An item left in an aircraft seat pocket or airport is not handled through the same process as a missing checked bag.

• Checked bag missing after arrival: File a delayed-baggage report with Air Canada.
• Item left on an aircraft: Use Air Canada’s lost-property process.
• Item lost in an airport terminal: Contact the airport’s lost-and-found department.
• Passport: Notify the appropriate passport authority or consulate promptly.

1. Collect the ticket number, booking reference and flight details.
2. Write a concise timeline of what occurred.
3. Include the disruption reason Air Canada provided.
4. Attach receipts, baggage reports, photographs or correspondence.
5. State the specific resolution requested.
6. Submit the concern through Air Canada’s official customer-support form.
7. Save the case number and monitor its status online.
8. Allow Air Canada the applicable response period.
9. If the qualifying complaint remains unresolved, consider escalating it to the appropriate transportation authority.

Passengers can check an existing submission through the case-status feature on Air Canada’s customer-support page.

The Canadian Transportation Agency can address eligible complaints involving flights within, to or from Canada. Passengers should first submit the complaint to the airline and allow it the required opportunity to respond.

If the problem remains unresolved, review the Canadian Transportation Agency air-travel complaint process. The agency does not handle every type of customer-service grievance, and its complaint queue may involve a significant wait.

• WestJet: Provides significant competition on Canadian domestic, transborder and leisure routes.
• United Airlines: Offers a large U.S. and international network and cooperates with Air Canada through Star Alliance.
• Delta Air Lines: Competes on transborder and international routes through major U.S. hubs.
• Porter Airlines: Competes on a growing number of Canadian and U.S. routes.
• Air Transat: Competes primarily for leisure travelers on transatlantic and vacation-oriented routes.

Compare the complete itinerary rather than only the base fare. Baggage, seat selection, connection time, airport changes, fare flexibility and operating carrier can materially affect the value of a ticket.

Related ZeroStars airline reviews include United Airlines and JetBlue.

Have you flown with Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or an Air Canada Express carrier? Share the route, travel date, cabin, disruption, baggage experience and how customer support handled the issue.

Do not publish booking references, ticket numbers, passport information, Aeroplan credentials or other private travel details.

Use the ZeroStars rating scale:

• 🔴 -5 Stars: Highly dissatisfied
• 🟠 0 Stars: Neutral or no significant impact
• 🟢 +5 Stars: Highly satisfied

Scroll down to leave an Air Canada rating, review or complaint.

Air Canada offers an extensive domestic and international network, premium cabin choices, Aeroplan benefits and useful connections through major Canadian hubs. Many passengers report satisfactory flights and professional onboard service.

However, complaints involving delays, cancellations, rebooking, baggage and refunds demonstrate the importance of documenting every stage of a disrupted trip. Passengers should use Air Canada’s official claim systems, retain receipts and understand that rebooking, refunds, expense reimbursement and statutory compensation are separate remedies with different eligibility requirements.

Read passenger comments below, ask questions and share your Air Canada experience.

Disclaimer: ZeroStars.org is an independent review platform and is not affiliated with Air Canada. Reviews reflect individual passenger experiences. Passenger rights and airline policies depend on the itinerary, ticket, disruption and applicable law and may change.

Information checked and updated August 2026.