Air Canada delayed or cancelled your flight? Here's what you're owed.
Under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), Air Canada owes cash — not just a meal voucher and an apology — when a controllable disruption gets you to your destination 3+ hours late.
What Air Canada owes you
| Arrival delay at destination | Delay / cancellation compensation | Denied boarding |
|---|---|---|
| 3 – 6 hours | $400 | $900 (under 6h) · $1,800 (6–9h) · $2,400 (9h+) |
| 6 – 9 hours | $700 | |
| 9+ hours | $1,000 |
These are the APPR large-carrier amounts — Air Canada is a large carrier. Compensation is per passenger, and it is owed in money, not just vouchers, unless you agree otherwise.
The three buckets — the cause decides
Within the airline's control (crew, maintenance, scheduling, most "operational" reasons): the amounts above are owed, plus meals and communication during the wait, a hotel if you're kept overnight, and rebooking at no charge.
Within control but required for safety: no cash compensation — but rebooking, meals and hotel (if overnight) are still owed. This is the most disputed bucket in Canada. The airline must explain, in writing if you ask, what made it a safety case. A bare "safety" label is not proof.
Outside the airline's control (weather, air-traffic control, security): no cash compensation; rebooking is still owed.
If a cancellation is within the airline's control and you take a refund instead of rebooking, compensation is a flat $400. For denied boarding, the airline must tell you your rights in writing and pay the same day, or within 48 hours if you've already departed on the alternative flight.
How to file with Air Canada
- Keep everything: booking reference, boarding pass, the delay/cancellation notice, and receipts for meals, transport or a hotel you paid for yourself.
- File in writing on aircanada.com — Customer Support → flight delays and cancellations / compensation claim. Don't rely on a phone call: the written claim starts the 30-day APPR clock and gives you a reference number.
- Say it plainly: flight number and date, how late you arrived at your final destination, the reason Air Canada gave you, and the amount owed under the APPR table above.
- Screenshot the confirmation page and keep the reference number with your documents.
Deadlines that matter: file with the airline within 1 year of the flight. The airline has 30 days to respond. Denied, lowballed, or ignored after 30 days? File a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) — it's free, it's online, and CTA decisions bind the airline.
If Air Canada says "safety"
Air Canada denies a large share of APPR claims on safety grounds, and the CTA has repeatedly ordered payment where the airline couldn't actually prove the safety case. Ask for the specific reason in writing, keep the original notice, and escalate to the CTA if the answer is a form letter. The checker above tests the facts of your flight first — so you know which bucket you're really in before you write.
Run your flight — free, 30 seconds
The checker tests EU261, UK261, Canada APPR and US DOT at once and tells you the amount, the deadline and where to file. If you're owed, the Ready-to-Send Claim writes the letter for you — free for the founding cohort, and you keep 100% of the payout.
Check my flight →Information only, not legal advice. Amounts are the statutory figures; the disruption's cause decides real cases. Delay Wages is not affiliated with any airline or regulator.