Air Canada Reviews 

Terrible customer service and use unsuitable aircraft for long distance flights. Despite paying an additional cost for exit row/extra comfort seating we fell victim to an aircraft change without notification and were forced to sit in economy seats with the smallest seat pitch we've ever endured on a 6 hour overnight flight. Polite attempts to seek compensation/refund for the product not supplied met with a token gesture and dismissive customer service that quickly shut down further avenues for complaint. A shoddy airline that can't be trusted or recommended. Buyer beware.

I flew from Heathrow to Calgary YYC,when queuing for the toilet I was snapped at by a male cabin crew,who hissed at me I was in the wrong place.I also found the female crew quite curt and snappy,I always choose Air Canada as I have had wonderful experiences before The return flight was not much better,all in all I won’t fly with them ever again .Very disappointed!!!

Changed my flight time by 5hrs early with only 24hrs notice and they didnt honor our prepaid seats. Stuck us in two middle seats instead of beside each other. No compensation

Our small carry on bags were taken away for check-in for The SFO bound flight from Vancouver international airport. However, after boarding the plane we found that there were lots of empty overhead bins, even though most passengers already boarded, and many passengers with oversized luggage were allowed to carry on. The Air Canada employee at the gate was hostile, ill mannered and seemed to be selectively targeting passengers, Her english communication was pathetic. She deserved to be disciplined.

Weather is not Air Canada’s fault. This disaster was.

We were trapped on a diverted aircraft in Ottawa for nearly five hours with minimal communication, no meaningful support, and no clear plan. When we finally arrived in Montreal, Air Canada let our Barcelona flight leave literally minutes before we got there despite knowing exactly where our aircraft was all evening.

No coordination. No communication. No assistance. No accountability.

The weather caused the diversion. Air Canada’s incompetence turned it into a nightmare.

I had a booking with United with air Canada flight and just to get the booking number for air Canada , it’s impossible to get hold of anyone . There’s no email, there’s no chat ! Thats even full round trip business international . Hours of wait . They will tell you they will call back and they won’t . If ever it will be hours where you’re in middle of meeting or something . Horrible . Thank goodness I’m not with them . I thought Canada airlines would be better service that us airlines .

Buyer beware: a detailed account of declining service across two 2026 trips

I want to preface this by saying I gave Air Canada the opportunity to respond directly — I informed them via their post-trip survey that I would be posting this review publicly if my concerns went unaddressed. Based on two trips this year, I believe the decline in service quality is significant enough that other travelers deserve a clear, factual account before booking.

Trip 1: Ottawa – Dominican Republic (Air Canada Vacations)

The hotel portion of this trip was fine. The flight was not. Seat pitch was so tight that my knees were jammed into the seatback in front of me with zero recline available. There was no in-flight entertainment on an international flight. I experienced a panic attack before departure due to the cramped conditions and had to be reseated (my partner negotiated a seat change with the folks in our row). Cabin crew appeared overwhelmed and only managed one beverage/snack service for the entire flight due to the passenger load. This was a direct flight from Ottawa, with no business class cabin offered. I had never been on a flight with that many people, that cramped and uncomfortable.

Trip 2: Ottawa – Fort Lauderdale (booked via Montreal specifically to avoid Toronto Pearson)

I deliberately routed through Montreal to avoid Pearson, which I've found consistently lacking — limited device charging outside paid lounges (which are routinely full), despite many flights lacking in-flight entertainment, which makes device charging more important, not less.

The at 8pm, with departure set for the morning, Air Canada cancelled my booked itinerary and rebooked me through Toronto instead, citing mechanical issues. My departure moved from 6:30 am to 5:00 am and my arrival shifted from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. I was able to change flights to get an 11:30am arrival after searching through their website and app. I question whether this was genuinely a mechanical issue or a consolidation of two flights into one for operational convenience and cost saving — I have no way to confirm either way, but the timing and outcome were suspicious.

At the gate in Toronto, my carry-on was seized and gate-checked, with staff citing broken overhead bins on the aircraft. I had packed deliberately for a short weekend trip: one carry-on sized to fit sideways in the overhead bin, and one personal item that fit under the seat — no loose items, no duty-free, fully compliant with carry-on policy and being considerate of others. Air Canada no longer returns gate-checked bags planeside; instead, passengers must wait at the baggage carousel, which defeats the purpose of traveling light for a quick trip. I waited 45 minutes for my bag after landing.

The aircraft for this leg was an Air Canada Rouge plane in visibly poor condition — six overhead bins held shut with duct tape that looked weathered and old. No in-flight entertainment on this 3-hour flight. Seat pitch was again too tight to open my iPad. Cabin crew repeatedly hit my knee and shoulder with the service cart while passing.

Return flight: Fort Lauderdale – Toronto – Ottawa

My carry-on was again confiscated at the gate in Fort Lauderdale, despite meeting all size requirements, while I observed other passengers boarding with two or three carry-on bags, including an off-duty flight attendant who boarded with three bags and stowed them across the aisle from me overhead. The inconsistency in enforcement was hard to miss. This flight also departed roughly 40 minutes late due to full passenger load, and I again waited about an hour at the carousel in Ottawa for my gate-checked bag.

This aircraft did have functional in-flight entertainment and slightly more recline, but seat spacing was still too tight to comfortably use an iPad, and cabin crew again only completed a single service pass due to passenger volume.

Summary

Across both trips: consistently tight seat spacing with no recline, minimal or no in-flight entertainment, inconsistent carry-on enforcement, gate-checked bags no longer returned planeside, a same-day schedule change with a significant routing and timing impact, and crew stretched thin across full cabins. I also paid extra to select specific seats that were later changed without compensation, and had to pay again to reselect comparable seats.

I recognize air travel has changed industry-wide, and I don't say any of this lightly — these are two consecutive, documented experiences in the same calendar year, not an isolated incident. If you're booking with Air Canada, particularly in economy on international or connecting itineraries, I'd encourage you to set expectations accordingly and consider seat selection, carry-on policy, and realistic connection buffers carefully.

Very disappointed with the customer service experience regarding a recent booking. I had to cancel travel plans for a family member due to an unexpected visa denial—a situation entirely out of our control. Despite providing documentation and reaching out for support, Air Canada’s response was a rigid refusal to provide any flexibility, citing non-refundable fare rules.
I feel that as a loyal customer, I expected at least a degree of empathy or a goodwill exception for such a significant, unforeseen circumstance. Instead, I was directed to insurance, leaving me to absorb a $1,400 loss with only a minimal refund of airport taxes. I will be re-evaluating my loyalty to this airline for future travel and will be exploring other carriers moving forward.

I have been flying with Air Canada for many years and have held Super Elite status for several years.

Let me start by saying that this review is not about Air Canada's frontline employees. Throughout my travels, flight attendants, gate agents and airport staff have generally been professional, courteous and helpful. I have also always felt safe flying with Air Canada. In my experience, the people on the front line have consistently done their best.

This review is about trust.

Recently, during an international trip, I attempted to use my eUpgrade credits for the first time in many years. On the outbound flight, Air Canada later informed me that no upgrade request had been received, despite the fact that I clearly remember selecting the upgrade option during the booking process. On the return flight, my request was properly registered but was ultimately not honoured due to an aircraft change.

The result was simple: no upgrade on either flight.

I fully understand that upgrades are never guaranteed. That is not my complaint.

My disappointment comes from the fact that after years of loyalty, maintaining Super Elite status, paying annual fees on a premium Aeroplan credit card, and often choosing Air Canada over competing airlines, the first time I attempted to use what I considered one of the most valuable benefits of that loyalty program, the experience was a complete failure.

What truly shocked me was the customer service response.

I was not expecting a free ticket, financial compensation or special treatment. I was expecting an acknowledgement that a long-standing Super Elite member had experienced a significant failure in one of the flagship benefits of the loyalty program.

Instead, the response felt purely administrative: one request had apparently never been received, the second could not be honoured due to operational reasons, my credits were returned, case closed.

At no point did I feel that my loyalty, my status or my long-term relationship with Air Canada carried any weight.

The missed upgrades did not make me lose confidence in Air Canada. The way Air Canada handled the situation did.

This experience forced me to ask a simple question: what is the actual value of Super Elite status?

I already travel frequently in Business Class. Priority boarding has little value to me. My luggage still arrives at the carousel. The eUpgrade program was one of the few benefits that genuinely justified my loyalty. After this experience, I no longer believe those benefits are worth the premium I have often paid to remain loyal to Air Canada.

I also believe Air Canada's lounge experience has fallen far behind the world's leading airlines. With the exception of the Vancouver Signature Suite, the gap between Air Canada and airlines such as Qatar Airways or Emirates has become increasingly difficult to ignore.

The real damage here is not the missed upgrades. It is the loss of trust.

For years, I willingly paid higher fares and accepted less convenient itineraries because I believed there was value in remaining loyal to Air Canada. Today, I am no longer convinced.

For the first time in many years, I am actively reconsidering both my personal and professional travel choices.

Horrible, dishonest airline that steals value from its customers. First I pay to select a seat—when I show up to check in, a lazy woman who is talking on FaceTime while speaking to me says “your seat was changed—I can’t help you call customer service”. Then I pay for online wifi which it says can be transferred between devices—there was no way to transfer, and the “high speed” wifi is extremely slow to even load web pages. Next the plane is so hot that I can’t sleep. They charge you for headsets for the in flight movies. Water is rationed out a jug. Don’t fly with these people. Take your business anywhere else.

I booked a flight from Denver to Toronto on 6 August 2026 and need to bring it forward by two days. A simple, straightforward request made well in advance of my travel date.

Despite repeated attempts across every available channel, I have been completely unable to reach anyone at Air Canada:

- Email sent — no response
- Online contact form completed — no response
- Called customer service and waited on hold for 60 minutes after navigating the automated system — no one answered
- Attempted to use the Manage My Booking self-service tool — it crashed repeatedly

I have now resorted to writing directly to the CEO and posting this review, simply to get someone to respond.

I am not asking for a refund, compensation, or anything extraordinary. I just need to change a flight date. The fact that this has proved impossible through any of Air Canada's official channels is a serious failure of basic customer service.

I will update this review if and when the matter is resolved.

I've had decent customer service with these guys before but certainly not this time.
They're stealing more than $500 for me because I had a flight that needed to be canceled for a valid reason. (Death in family) And they were supposed to give me my money back to my original payment method. They gave me the $500 in credits... Now these credits are expiring and I can't fly with their Canada because I have anaphylaxis anytime I try to board their antique airships...

I honestly don't have it to spend... The customer service person didn't seem to have a clue and was just making hmmm and other noises... Instead of saying anything useful.
I acted decent and I wasn't nasty on the phone at all... I just really wanted some help with this and they are screwing me over.

I have two days left to find a flight with Star Alliance in Europe... For under 500 Canadian dollars... Star Alliance seems to start at $2,000 for flights that you can get with other airlines for $50...

I no longer even live in Canada... I'm really disgusted with these guys and I will never fly with them or recommend that anyone else use this airline either.

Even if they get new nom-anaphylaxis airplanes that aren't 26 years old and made with tweed and dog hair...

Just terrible service.
She sounded confused when she said sorry for the death in the family... Well... Yikes. It was like she was asking a question.

With all the billions of dollars of government bailout money you would think that they wouldn't have to rob me as well.

The ticket I had, I cancelled within a week. I don't even think this crap is legal.

Our first flight was cancelled, and they hiked up for higher price. We had a fellow passenger who said they refused cancellation and got the same flight deal. When we called, we were told there were no options.

Flights were good and service was friendly. No issues on this flight. Not as bad as some people make them out to be.

We recently traveled to Toronto,Canada intending to leave on a red - eye 6-11 to 6-14 on 6/11/2. We recieved a text stated flight cancelled. We were to fly into Billy Bishop airport . They rebooked our flight at a totally different airport without calling or even texting or stating the airport name. We were traveling with a handicapped person in a wheelchair and this information was on the ticket. We walked several blocks took a bus and then a train to get the correct airport.
This is very stressful on all parties. We lost 2 days of travel.due to your inconsideration and poor attention to detail.
A handicapped person should not have to deal with this.
In addition your security tsa was ridiculous. It seems they lack training and treat people.with a disabilty who wears braces like a terrorist.
They even traumatized an autistic child who had a therapy teddy bear . They opened up the bear while the child is having an emotional meltdown.
The mother stated the other airports they flew through did not have a problem. They made them surrender the bear. What horrible service. You do not know the trauma you cause making a disabled person go through such stress. You can bet on bad advertising from all.of these families you have harassed excessively. We all understand protocol but common sense and kindness should also be implemented.

Absolutely Disgraceful Treatment During a Family Medical Emergency

My father was scheduled to fly with Air Canada but was suddenly hospitalized in the ICU with severe neurological complications, requiring emergency treatment and brain surgery. He was physically incapable of traveling.

I contacted Air Canada twice to explain the situation and requested either a refund or even a future travel credit. The first representative refused. I called again and spoke with a supervisor, hoping that the extraordinary circumstances would be taken into consideration.

Instead, I was told that the decision would not change no matter how many times I called. Despite having medical documentation, hospitalization records, and a doctor’s note available, there was no willingness to help whatsoever.

I understand that tickets have rules and restrictions. What I cannot understand is the complete lack of compassion shown to a family dealing with a life-threatening medical emergency. My father wasn’t cancelling a vacation because he changed his mind—he was in intensive care fighting for his health.

The lack of empathy, flexibility, and basic human decency shown throughout this process was shocking and deeply disappointing.

I will never forget how Air Canada treated my family during one of the most difficult times of our lives.

During our 6 hour flight from Cancun to YVR, the service crew, which I believe was made up of 4 Individuals had managed to deliver the poorest service quality I have witnessed in the air, in a long time.
1. None of them has smiled or shown any hospitality towards any passenger. All spoke in serious, authoritarian and ungenuine voice.
2. A crew of 3 male individuals took about 1.5 hours to do one round of drinks and refreshments.
3. There was no second round of refreshments during the 6 hour flight.
4. Last and most significant in my opinion is that the 3 mail crew sat for HOURS in the last row of the plane, helping themselves to refreshments and snacks for a significant part of the flight. One of them was dozing off (falling asleep), the other two enjoyed their screen times and snacks, while I, would have appreciated a round of water service or additional snacks.

I was shocked to say the least. This was a leg in a journey I took to Peru which included Avianca, LATAM and Jetsmart, and all of them have shown multiple times better service and genuine hospitality, even for jetsmart which was a no-frills airline.

Very disappointing Air Canada.

This my first time flying air Canada and it was the worst flying experience I’ve ever had…. I’ll never touch this airline again

Hidden fees are bull, way more expensive then budget airlines with far worse service. Won't fly again with them.

The flight itself from Heathrow to Calgary was fine. The cabin staff appeared surly and gave the impression that were doing their job under sufferance. The food was dire. They had a choice of chicken or pasta. By the time they got to me they only had pasta left. This pasta was so appalling bad. The pasta was sticking together and it was rubbery. Noticed that the cabin staff kept ignoring the left over meal plates on the next aisle. They had cleared the rest on the plane. A passenger after about 25 minutes had to call someone else to clear the tables despite that the cabin staff were walking up and down the same aisle. What is wrong with them?
On our return flight from Vancouver to Heathrow- it was noticed by several passengers that the attitude of the cabin staff were uncaring and not very pleasant. One of the passengers said that he couldn't understand what a particular air steward was saying. I must admit, her English was not good or clear. Learned from our outbound flight that the food is terrible so we ensured we had a decent meal at the airport prior to boarding. Better still, take your own food. The "breakfast" was appalling. A small pot of Vanilla yoghurt and a slice of cake ( okay if you like very sweet cake). Why doesn't Air Canada improve their food. Worst airline food I have experienced. The flight itself was fine. We had no say which airline to travel but would look at other alternatives given the chance. To sum up - poor cabin customer service and bad food.