Report: Air Canada Agrees to Customer Refunds as Part of Ottawa Bailout Deal
March 3, 2021 ctn_admin
The Toronto Star says Air Canada has agreed to offer refunds to customers for flights postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an interview with the Star on Wednesday, Unifor president Jerry Dias said he’s spoken with Air Canada and government officials involved in the negotiations, and that the company has agreed to Ottawa’s crucial demand to repay the many customers who weren’t reimbursed for their plane tickets.
Former Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu told Bloomberg News in November that he had no issue with refunds.
“We know the minister (Canada’s Minister of Transport) has made it clear that refunds would be required, and based on the size and scale of the program we have no issue, no quarrel with that at all. We have already refunded about $1.2 billion of refundable fares, and of course there’s been a lot of pressure about the non-refundable fares, and so we would definitely do that assuming that the terms of the support package are adequate and that the terms are appropriate and reasonable.”
Still, Dias’ comments are a strong indication that a “bailout” deal between the Justin Trudeau government and Canada’s airlines could be getting closer.
As well as insisting on refunds for airline customers, Liberal government officials have said that any financial assistance package also would require that airlines restore vital flight routes cut during the pandemic.
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