With holiday traffic surging, Air Canada introduced a flexible rebooking policy on December 19 to ease congestion at Toronto Pearson (YYZ) and Montréal-Trudeau (YUL). Passengers ticketed on or before December 19 for travel between December 19 and 24 can voluntarily change to a same-day, non-stop flight—at no fee—provided the origin and destination remain the same.
The carrier hopes the measure will reduce missed connections and baggage bottlenecks at its busiest hubs after several winters plagued by weather-related snarls. Customers can process the change online through “My Bookings” or contact call centres; availability is based on seat inventory in the original cabin.
For corporate travel managers, the waiver offers a cost-free way to reroute executives onto more reliable direct services, potentially avoiding costly delays. Travellers on Aeroplan reward tickets are also eligible, removing a common friction point in past rebooking waivers.
![Air Canada offers free switches from connecting to non-stop flights during holiday rush]()
For passengers who take advantage of the waiver to amend international connections, VisaHQ can streamline the process of confirming and securing any new visa or eTA requirements. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides quick, user-friendly checks and expedited application options—helpful peace of mind when itineraries shift at short notice.
Although the policy is limited to a five-day window, observers say it reflects growing airline willingness to adopt dynamic, customer-friendly strategies amid labour shortages and infrastructure constraints. The move may also help Air Canada maintain on-time-performance metrics during a period when weather systems can derail schedules.
Passengers holding multi-stop itineraries after December 24 should monitor further advisories, as the airline has hinted additional flexibility could be offered if severe weather develops.
The carrier hopes the measure will reduce missed connections and baggage bottlenecks at its busiest hubs after several winters plagued by weather-related snarls. Customers can process the change online through “My Bookings” or contact call centres; availability is based on seat inventory in the original cabin.
For corporate travel managers, the waiver offers a cost-free way to reroute executives onto more reliable direct services, potentially avoiding costly delays. Travellers on Aeroplan reward tickets are also eligible, removing a common friction point in past rebooking waivers.
For passengers who take advantage of the waiver to amend international connections, VisaHQ can streamline the process of confirming and securing any new visa or eTA requirements. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides quick, user-friendly checks and expedited application options—helpful peace of mind when itineraries shift at short notice.
Although the policy is limited to a five-day window, observers say it reflects growing airline willingness to adopt dynamic, customer-friendly strategies amid labour shortages and infrastructure constraints. The move may also help Air Canada maintain on-time-performance metrics during a period when weather systems can derail schedules.
Passengers holding multi-stop itineraries after December 24 should monitor further advisories, as the airline has hinted additional flexibility could be offered if severe weather develops.
