Air Canada Reviews 

I have been trying to get in touch with their customer service for weeks and I may as well be trying to communicate with the afterlife. Their website is very cleverly constructed to send one round in circles and when attempting to speak to someone via a web call, I was waiting for an hour until eventually I gave up - which is exactly what they want. Very surprised and disappointed, I thought Air Canada were a reputable company, alas, they're no better than other budget airlines.

I rarely write negative reviews, but after months of correspondence with Air Canada and a complete denial of any restitution, I believe other travelers deserve to know about my experience.

My wife and I were scheduled to travel from LaGuardia to Lyon, France, on April 2, 2026 (Booking BL5Z42). Our itinerary began with Air Canada flight AC8641 from LaGuardia to Montreal.

Our trip unraveled almost immediately.

We were informed that our flight from LaGuardia to Montreal had been cancelled, and we were given two choices: delay our vacation by a full day or fly to Paris instead and make our own way to Lyon. To avoid losing a day of our trip, we chose the Paris option.

Air Canada arranged transportation from LaGuardia to JFK so we could board an Air France flight to Paris. We appreciated that effort. However, the meal vouchers we were given at JFK were not accepted by the airport vendors, leaving us with $97.80 in out-of-pocket meal expenses.

Because we arrived in Paris rather than Lyon, we also had to rent a car and drive several hours to reach our destination, adding another $289.38 in unexpected costs.

Unfortunately, the return trip was even more frustrating.

Before leaving France, we discovered that our return reservation had completely disappeared from Air Canada's system. It required two separate phone calls—each lasting more than two hours—to have our return flights restored.

After arriving in Montreal, our connecting flight to LaGuardia was cancelled. We were initially rebooked through Toronto with an overnight delay before working with an airport agent to secure seats on the next available direct flight to LaGuardia.

During the trip home, we received 13 separate emails announcing delays, cancellations, seat changes, upgrades, and downgrades. Keeping track of our actual itinerary became nearly impossible.

At one point, my wife and I were upgraded to first class. A few minutes later, I was removed from first class and reassigned to the last row of the aircraft in a non-reclining seat while my wife remained in first class. After everything that had already happened, it felt like one more unnecessary frustration.

To be fair, every Air Canada employee we dealt with in person was courteous, patient, and genuinely tried to help. My criticism is not directed at the frontline staff.

My disappointment is with Air Canada's handling of the situation afterward.

The airline ultimately attributed our travel disruption to weather and declined any reimbursement or goodwill compensation. While weather can certainly disrupt air travel, many of the issues we experienced were unrelated to the weather itself: our return reservation disappearing from the system, more than four hours spent on hold to restore it, unusable meal vouchers, repeated itinerary changes, conflicting notifications, and the complete lack of any customer recovery despite documented out-of-pocket expenses.

In total, we incurred $387.18 in additional expenses, not including the many hours spent resolving problems that should never have occurred.

Travel disruptions happen, and I understand that airlines cannot control the weather. What they can control is how they care for customers when things go wrong. Unfortunately, that is where Air Canada fell well short.

What should have been an unforgettable vacation became memorable for all the wrong reasons. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend Air Canada and will choose another airline whenever possible.

For some reason I can’t never pay with my credit card although the information are correct
And when I try to reach the customer service it takes many hours

The customer service with Air Canada. I was on hold for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The representative was not helpful at all and didn't seem to know basic information. I asked to speak to a manager or someone else and was told that it was not possible. It was suggested that I hang up and call back to get another representative to see what they would say. The service with Air Canada is consistently horrible. I do not recommend.

1 star.

Our experience with Air Canada was an absolute disaster.

The aircraft were not clean and did not feel well maintained. However, the biggest problem started after we landed. Our stroller was loaded onto the wrong aircraft, leaving us stranded in a foreign city with our two-year-old child and no stroller.

We were promised that the stroller would be delivered the next day. Instead, it was delivered to the wrong location, taken back, and after that we never heard from Air Canada again.

No solution, no communication, no return of our original stroller, and no reimbursement for the new stroller we were forced to buy because we had no other choice while travelling with a toddler.

Mistakes can happen, but what matters is how an airline handles them. Air Canada completely abandoned us in a very difficult situation. The lack of customer service and the way our family was treated were simply unacceptable.

I cannot recommend Air Canada based on this experience.

Erm Air Canada literally broke my bag LMAO. They broke the zipper. I packed my bag In a way where nothing would be damaged…

Erm and they board us on the plane, then deplane us…. Then say our flight is delayed by 2 hours…. Then fully cancel the flight… they wouldn’t even bother rebooking some passengers on a flight to Seattle or wherever. (My flight was from YVR to PDX)

I paid for seat selection and selected seat way prior, my seats on my trip day which was my birthday, changed my window seat to some other random seat and you made me a my partner sit separately somewhere else
Will never fly or book Air Canada ever won't recommend and will post this review on internet where ever I can
None of the staff helped us in relation to this in spite of paying extra for it other ruining my birthday and then wishing me happy birthday was so hurtful
Never got refund as well

they are pet killers. no shame. demons.

Had lost luggage, the first woman didn't really care about really helping us, took several walks while dealing with customers. They where really understaffed which made us wait for a couple of hours. Until we got to this really friendly and helpfull woman called Angie. After a while I got a text the luggage was found and is now being delivered to the hotel. Thank you life saver Angie!

Worst ever experience with Air Canada, will never fly with them. Right before departure time they announce some technical issue, had to face both ways in my trip within a week. Air Canada Management should start selling ice cream instead of managing an airline, they may do better, still I doubt it.

Subject: Exceptional Service

Recognition: Deeva and Crew on Flight AC869 (LHR to YHZ) – July 9, 2026

I hope this review reaches the management team responsible for the crew on Flight AC869.To provide context, I have historically not been a fan of Air Canada and typically choose other carriers when options are available. However, my experience on yesterday’s flight from London Heathrow to Halifax completely changed my perspective on your customer service, entirely due to your outstanding staff.

I was travelling alone with my seven-month-old son, who was incredibly unsettled and required constant entertainment throughout the entire flight. Recognizing my struggles, a flight attendant named Deeva stepped in. She provided a level of care and assistance that went far above and beyond her standard duties. Her kindness and attentiveness made a challenging flight bearable, not just for me, but surely for the surrounding passengers as well.

I cannot fully express how deeply grateful I am for her amazing support. Even at the end of the flight, Deeva helped me gather all of my belongings, assisted me off the aircraft, and helped set up my stroller at the gate.

Additionally, I want to commend the rest of the crew. Another flight attendant kindly held my baby so I could use the restroom, which was a massive help.While I have been critical of Air Canada in the past, this level of deeply compassionate, customer-centered service cannot go unrecognized. I am incredibly grateful to Deeva and the entire team for their warmth and support during a stressful journey. They are an absolute asset to your airline.

Jords and Mom- New Brunswick

Flight from terrace to Vancouver delayed then cancled, second time in a row. I needed to go home and they would guve me a refund. Trash airline

It’s a good/average airline carrier, nothing more, nothing less.
In Copenhagen Airport it’s a tiny carrier meaning that you need to be M. Poirot to find a machine that will print your boarding pass (and being Air Canada you need this as it will not provide digital boarding passes for kids below 18 for some reason?), and you need a bit of patience for their check-in processes as well.
Flying from A to B is good, fine service and infotainment.
Tip: NEVER answer their questionnaire- I started doing this just know, after several pages and 5-8 min I was 27% through 🙄

Edinburgh to Montreal was delayed over 5hrs, missed connecting flight to Miami, was told they couldn't fly us to Miami but could fly us to Orlando the next evening, and was told to find our own way to Miami from Orlando,so we had to hire a car and drive 4hours through the night to arrive in ft Lauderdale on tues at 7am, we should have arrived at 17:10 on the Sunday,returning home on the 28th our connecting flight in Toronto to Edinburgh was delayed 6 hours, total shambles from start to finish, horrendous company, 100% worst company I have ever had the misfortune to fly with , totally ruined our trip to the World Cup @aircanada

Terrible airline, sent my suitcase to a random plane and left me waiting in Heathrow with no updates

If I could give lower I would. From now on would pay more to not fly Air Canada. Flight from Montreal to NYC cancelled as they were boarding the plane. They opened the emergency door back to immigration and told people to leave with zero notification of what to do next. Went up the the desk and the representative didn’t even look at us and just kept saying “please leave”. Email notification an hour later that we were booked on another flight TWO DAYS LATER (on two separate flights) and weren’t eligible for any reimbursement for hotels or food. No way to contact them to change the alternative they give you either.

Their monopoly in the Canadian market has killed their customer service and they can treat passengers like garbage.

Will do my best to always avoid giving them another penny from now on.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but after this experience, I feel other travellers—especially those travelling with elderly family members or passengers with reduced mobility—should know what to expect.

We recently flew with Air Canada from Edmonton to Vancouver. My mother has mobility issues and uses an Airwheel electric mobility scooter with a removable battery. The battery is under 100Wh and complies with airline lithium battery regulations.

During this same trip, we had already travelled on Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Japan Airlines (JAL), and WestJet. None of those airlines had any issue allowing the scooter on board as carry-on once the battery was removed.

At Edmonton Airport, Air Canada informed us that the scooter was not permitted because of Air Canada’s own policy. It was not an airport restriction, and there was no issue with the removable battery. They also refused to check the scooter in, even without the battery. We were left with no option but to leave the scooter behind at the airport and arrange for a family member who lives in Edmonton to collect it later.

If Edmonton Airport allows it, and four other airlines had no issue with it, I genuinely don’t understand why Air Canada has such a restrictive policy—especially when it affects passengers who rely on mobility devices.

What made the situation even worse was the wheelchair assistance.

In Edmonton, the wheelchair service from check-in to the departure gate was perfectly fine.

However, after landing in Vancouver, my mother was pushed in a wheelchair, transferred to a golf cart, and then dropped off before we even reached the baggage claim area. We were simply told she would have to walk the rest of the way to baggage claim and then continue all the way to the international check-in counters for our connecting JAL flight to Tokyo.

This was not a short distance.

When I explained that my mother has mobility issues, the staff simply pointed to an empty airport wheelchair and told me to push her myself.

I was travelling with two children, had to collect all of our luggage, and then re-check it for our international flight. Expecting me to manage luggage, children, and push a wheelchair through the airport was completely unreasonable. In the end, one of my children had to push my mother.

What concerns me most is this: what would have happened if my mother had been travelling alone? Would Air Canada have simply left her there to slowly walk to baggage claim, collect her luggage herself, and then make her way across the terminal to international check-in?

The irony is that Air Canada had already taken away the one device that would have allowed her to move around independently—her mobility scooter.

The difference compared with the other airlines was remarkable. When we arrived in Vancouver from Tokyo with JAL, their wheelchair staff met us at the aircraft, escorted my mother all the way to baggage claim, helped us collect our luggage, and then continued to accompany us to the WestJet check-in counter. WestJet also had absolutely no issue transporting her mobility scooter.

Throughout our entire trip, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, JAL, and WestJet all accommodated the scooter without issue. Air Canada was the only airline that refused it, and then failed to provide adequate assistance after taking away the very mobility device my mother depends on.

To make matters worse, the staff were dismissive, unhelpful, and lacked empathy throughout the entire process.

This was honestly one of the worst airline experiences I have ever had. For an airline that serves passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility every day, this level of service is simply unacceptable.

I will never choose Air Canada again if I have another option. Based on this experience, I would recommend WestJet over Air Canada for domestic travel within Canada without hesitation.

I have been wating to talk to a live agent for more than 2h30 min. This has to be the worst waitime i have ever experienced. I wish i could give 0 star, because this is unacceptable

I fly at least annually from Australia to Canada. They are so far behind other airlines. No free wifi for business class unless I purchase it. Not allowed to plug in my sleep apnea machine. Not a problem with other airlines. Not flying business class from Toronto to Vancouver only to be told the choice of meal on the menu is not available because passengers had preordered that choice. Wouldn’t u think it it had been preordered they would have extras onboard. This airline has a long way to go to get up to standard.

We had several flights between Houston and Lisbon and Barcelona to Houston. EVERY flight was between 1.5 to 5 hours late for maintenance problems. A flight was switched on us from one connecting flight to two. There was a 4 hour 15 minute flight with no food. Another 4 hour flight had no entertainment NEVER FLY AIR CANADA.