How to Claim Reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Expenses from Air Canada

Amy Lancelotte

By:  Amy Lancelotte

Last Updated:  5 December 2025

Reviewed by:  Anton Radchenko

Expenses can quickly add up when you’re stranded waiting for a flight. Luckily, in certain circumstances, you may qualify for reimbursement of these purchases when your Air Canada flight is rerouted, delayed, or canceled. 

Extra expenses like hotels, meals, and even clothing can help make the interruption more manageable, but when is Air Canada on the hook to pay you back?

We’ll answer this question, go through the specific process for claiming an Air Canada reimbursement, which is separate from compensation, while providing helpful tips and real-life examples along the way.

Who Can Request a Reimbursement & When

Air Canada passengers can request reimbursement if their flight was interrupted. You can qualify for expense reimbursement if:

• The delay, diversion, or cancellation was within Air Canada’s control; and
• You were informed of the disruption less than 12 hours before the scheduled departure time; and
• You’ve waited at least 2 hours after that originally scheduled departure time; and
• You can prove the expenses with receipts or other proof of purchase.

What Essential Interim Expenses are Valid?

Since not everything is eligible for an Air Canada reimbursement, it’s best to focus on what is. The following items in reasonable quantities/costs are generally accepted:

• Food and non-alcoholic drinks
• Communication, like wi-fi or phone charges, to rearrange your trip plans
• Accommodation for overnight delays, provided you’re away from home
• Ground transportation to the hotel and back to the airport
• Basic essentials like toiletries and clothing, if you don’t have your luggage

Remember: you need to prove the expenses to actually receive the reimbursement.

Travelers are often surprised by how much documentation airlines expect. Keep boarding passes, delay notifications, itemized receipts, and even screenshots. Airlines rarely reimburse without clear proof. – Anton Radchenko, Founder & CEO, AirAdvisor

Documentation to Prepare for Your Reimbursement Request

A good rule of thumb is to keep everything associated with the flight, disruption, and expenses. Here’s what you need in detail:

☑ Boarding pass and ticket confirmation/booking email.
☑ Receipts for all the interruption-related expenses or screenshots from apps like Uber and Airbnb.
☑ The proof of the delay or cancellation, usually a text message or email.
☑ A breakdown of the items on each receipt so that Air Canada understands what was purchased. Try something like “Hotel meal for two people while delayed overnight on November 6.”
☑ A short description of what happened. For example, “My flight AC 8553 from New York (JFK) to Toronto (YYZ) on November 6 was delayed by 6 hours. The flight didn’t depart until 3:45 pm. While waiting at the airport, I had to spend $48.60 on food and drinks for two people.”

How to File a Reimbursement Request with Air Canada

The key to getting your Air Canada reimbursement is filing the request through the proper channels. 

1. Go to the Flight disruption compensation and expense eligibility form.
2. Enter your ticket number and last name. Click “Check My Eligibility.”
3. Select the leg of the route that’s eligible, and click “Continue to passenger details.”
4. Add your personal contact information. Click “Continue to expenses.”
5. Add your receipts and a summary of the items and situation. 
6. Review everything and submit the request.

Note that if Air Canada’s self-assessment tool deems you ineligible, you won’t be able to proceed further. You’ll get a message that looks like this:

If you believe it to be wrong, you’ll need to contact Customer Support. The easiest way is to use the General Feedback form.

In all, expect the processing time to be between 2 and 5 weeks for standard requests. Complicated ones may take longer. This timeframe also extends when there are widespread disruptions like the Air Canada flight attendants' strike from August 16-19, 2025, because the airline is dealing with a much higher than average number of requests.

What if Air Canada Provides a Hotel or Voucher?

Often, instead of requiring reimbursement, Air Canada will issue you vouchers for refreshments or complimentary accommodation at one of their hotel partners. If that’s the case, always take the prepaid items. If you don’t, it’s hard to get reimbursement unless you can prove hardship or an exception.

Sometimes there isn’t room at one of Air Canada’s partner hotels, or they don’t have vouchers available, and that’s when you end up paying out of pocket for your meals, hotel, and transportation. Always get proof in writing that the prepaid services weren’t possible – you may need it later.

Reimbursement Challenges You Might Encounter

Be prepared to deal with some pushback for your Air Canada reimbursement claim, especially if the details of the interruption cause are ambiguous or your receipts aren’t perfect. Here are some common Air Canada objections, and how to deal with them:

1. “It’s not our fault” – The reason you were significantly delayed or your flight was canceled is attributable to conditions outside Air Canada’s control, also known as “force majeure.”
   Action: Check if other airlines were able to operate the same route within the same timeframe.
2. “You don’t have the right receipts” – If Air Canada can’t read, make sense of the receipts, or some are missing, they will likely deny the request or issue a partial reimbursement.
   Action: Either try to request an itemized and clear receipt from the merchant, or look into your emails and apps for booking confirmations.
3. “We’ll only pay half” – Air Canada may try to issue a partial reimbursement because they don’t think your purchases were reasonable.
   Action: Follow up with documentation that shows the option you chose was the only one available. Create a timeline that shows why you needed both lunch and dinner, for example.
4. “Your request is for another airline” – Codeshares are common, and just because you purchase your ticket from Air Canada doesn’t necessarily mean they operate the flight. For example, you may have booked through Air Canada, but as a codeshare flight, it was Delta or United that flew you from Chicago O’Hare to Montreal.
   Action: Withdraw your Air Canada reimbursement request and contact the company that actually provided the flight.

Real Cases of Air Canada Reimbursements

It’s all well and good to spout the rules, but sometimes the reimbursement guidelines are best demonstrated with real-world examples:

Scenario 1

A passenger was scheduled to fly on flight AC 791 from Toronto to Los Angeles. They had a connection at LAX to travel home to Las Vegas. The original flight was delayed by 5 hours, causing the passenger to miss the LAX connection. A replacement flight was only available the following day. As a result, the passenger successfully claimed Air Canada reimbursement for:

☑ A hotel – $210
☑ Meals – $45
☑ Uber transportation – $28

The request was processed in 22 days, and the passenger received their money back in full ($283).

Scenario 2

A family of four was traveling from Los Angeles (LAX) to Vancouver (YVR) on flight AC 551. They were supposed to depart at 6:30 am, but were delayed until 2:45 pm. During the delay, the family incurred food and drink costs for lunch and a snack. They also missed the departure of their cruise.

Air Canada reimbursement was provided in the amount of $138 for the refreshments, but the costs associated with missing the cruise were not covered. The process took nearly 5 weeks.

Additional Available Protections

Luckily, Air Canada’s reimbursement policy aligns with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) guidelines. Here are some other options for coverage:

Montreal Convention

Exclusively for international passengers, the Montreal Convention offers coverage up to SDR6,303 (Special Drawing Rights), which translates to approximately CA$12,500 (US$9,000) for expenses associated with delays.

There is also a provision that covers up to SDR1,519 for lost, delayed, or damaged Air Canada luggage. That amounts to approximately CA$3,000 (US$2,080).

Credit Cards

In addition to the Montreal Convention and the CTA, the credit card used to purchase your flight may automatically come with coverage for trip interruption and delayed luggage. Contact the company ASAP to inquire and initiate a claim. That way, you won’t miss any deadlines. 

If organizing documents and following up isn’t your strong suit, AirAdvisor can file the Air Canada reimbursement request on your behalfYou have nothing to lose – we offer a no-win, no-fee guarantee.Check if Your Flight Qualifies

Author:

Amy Lancelotte

Job/Position: Senior Writer & Content Creator

Amy Lancelotte is a Senior Content Writer and editorial contributor at AirAdvisor with more than seven years of experience producing research-driven articles for global audiences. Her work focuses on travel, aviation, and air passenger rights, with an emphasis on factual accuracy, verified data, and clear, reader-first explanations.

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