Significant thunderstorms prompted Canada's flag airline to offer relaxed change policies for customers with flights to affected areas.
Flooding in Toronto stranded people in cars and other spaces, requiring emergency rescues; large parts of the city were also left without power.
The rest of the Greater Toronto Area, which was also hit by intense downpours, similarly saw flooding disrupt parts of many communities, with portions of highways awash with water and many cars abandoned.
Air Canada told V.I.A. it revised its ticketing policy due to forecasted thunderstorms for customers travelling on flights to/from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, as well as the U.S. northeast.
Travellers with affected flights can retrieve and change their bookings for free, space permitting. If you purchased a holiday with Air Canada Vacations, contact them directly at 1-800-296-3408.
Air Canada guests are automatically enrolled to receive flight notifications to their mobile devices or by email. You can update your preferences online.
Flexible ticketing is in place for the following dates and destinations for July 16:
- Montreal (YUL)
- New York (EWR)
- New York (JFK)
- New York (LGA)
- Ottawa (YOW)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
- Quebec City (YQB)
- Toronto (YTZ)
- Toronto (YYZ)
- Washington (BWI)
- Washington (DCA)
- Washington (IAD)
The airline will continue to monitor the situation and may allow changes on other days as the situation unfolds.
What should I do if I have a flight to or from Vancouver?
Travellers departing from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) should check local weather and conditions at their destination before heading to the airport. They should also check airport conditions in places en route to their destinations to see how it may impact travel.
Locals should also book travel insurance with trip interruption, trip cancellation, medical for over $5 million, and comprehensive baggage loss and delay. Passengers are advised to read the fine print of their policy closely.
V.I.A. reached out to WestJet for comment and did not receive a response by deadline. It currently does not show any relaxed change policies on its travel advisories page.
With files from the Canadian Press
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