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How to Claim Flight Delay Compensation in Canada

First, check the four core requirements: the disruption was within the airline's control and not required for safety; you were notified 14 days or less before departure; you reached your final destination at least three hours late; and the flight was less than one year ago.

Submit the claim in writing to the airline that operated the disrupted flight. It has 30 days to pay or explain why it believes compensation is not owed. You can file yourself or use Goose to complete TripFix's intake and prepare a claim brief for review.

Disruption Length*Compensation Range
3 to under 6 hours late$125–$400 CAD
6 to under 9 hours late$250–$700 CAD
9 hours or more late$500–$1,000 CAD

*Disruption length is scheduled vs actual arrival at your final destination — not gate wait time. Compensation does not include expense reimbursement (meals, hotel), which may be owed in addition.

Major Canadian Airport Disruptions From the Last Week.

In the last 7 days, 77 tracked flights met the three-hour arrival threshold across major Canadian airports (including Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal). Their potential APPR compensation bands total $33,750. Across all tracked disruptions, that represents 395.5 total delay hours and 0 cancellations requiring individual review. Final eligibility still depends on the cause of each disruption.

Major Canadian Airports · Disruptions

Start a claim from one of the flights below.

Flight Date
Scheduled
Airline
Flight
From
To
Delay
Aug 2207:44WestJetWS731TorontoVancouver4h 52mSee if you're owed up to $400Aug 22, flight WS731 from Toronto to Vancouver, scheduled 07:44, delay 4h 52m. See if you're owed up to $400. Start a claim for this flight.
Aug 2207:30WestJet EncoreWR3739CalgaryCalgary5h 52mSee if you're owed up to $400Aug 22, flight WR3739 from Calgary to Calgary, scheduled 07:30, delay 5h 52m. See if you're owed up to $400. Start a claim for this flight.
Aug 2207:15WestJetWS137CalgaryVancouver5h 10mSee if you're owed up to $400Aug 22, flight WS137 from Calgary to Vancouver, scheduled 07:15, delay 5h 10m. See if you're owed up to $400. Start a claim for this flight.
Aug 2207:01Air CanadaAC313MontrealVancouver3h 43mSee if you're owed up to $400Aug 22, flight AC313 from Montreal to Vancouver, scheduled 07:01, delay 3h 43m. See if you're owed up to $400. Start a claim for this flight.
Aug 2206:30Air CanadaAC131TorontoVancouver3h 36mSee if you're owed up to $400Aug 22, flight AC131 from Toronto to Vancouver, scheduled 06:30, delay 3h 36m. See if you're owed up to $400. Start a claim for this flight.
Last Updated Aug 23, 2026, 1:01 p.m. UTC

Step 1: Check If Your Delay Qualifies

Compensation is not based on departure delay alone. Compare the scheduled arrival time with the time you reached your final destination. A missed connection can count if the qualifying disruption caused the late final arrival.

Weather, air-traffic control, security incidents, and safety-related disruptions generally do not qualify for cash compensation. If the airline gives only a broad label such as "safety" or "operational reasons," ask for the specific cause in writing.

Read the full Canadian flight delay compensation guide for payout amounts and eligibility details.

Step 2: Gather Your Flight Details

Grab whatever you still have:

  • Flight number and date (e.g. AC772 on July 28)
  • Where you flew (cities or airport codes)
  • Scheduled vs actual arrival — even a rough estimate helps ("landed about 4 hours late")
  • Booking reference and passenger names
  • Optional: delay emails, gate screenshots, hotel/meal receipts

Do not abandon the claim if a boarding pass is missing. The key is identifying the flight and passenger. Keep any airline explanation and your expense receipts too; reimbursement for meals, hotels, or transportation is separate from APPR compensation.

Step 3: Send a Written Claim to the Airline

  1. Use the operating airline's APPR or flight disruption claim form. If no form is available, use its written customer service channel.
  2. Include the passenger names, booking reference, flight number and date, route, scheduled and actual final-arrival times, and the reason the airline provided.
  3. State that you are requesting compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations and specify the amount claimed for each passenger.
  4. Save the submission confirmation. The airline has 30 days to pay or give its reason for refusing.

Submit a claim for every eligible passenger. If the airline offers a voucher, it must also offer the compensation in a monetary form when compensation is owed; you do not have to accept a voucher.

Step 4: Review the Airline’s Response

A valid response should either pay the claim or explain why the airline believes compensation is not payable. Compare its reason with what happened and keep the response. A generic reference to weather, safety, or a previous flight does not by itself explain the full cause.

If the airline does not respond within 30 days, or you disagree with the decision, you can file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency. Include your original claim, the airline's response, and your supporting records.

Claim Deadlines and Timelines

You have one year from the disruption to submit a written compensation claim to the airline. The airline then has 30 days to pay or explain why compensation is not owed. Filing sooner makes it easier to preserve notices, receipts, and details.

If you are still travelling, first ask for any assistance or rebooking you need. You can calculate the final arrival delay and submit the compensation claim after the trip.

Common Mistakes That Slow Claims Down

  • Only mentioning the departure delay — compensation is based on arrival lateness at your destination
  • Treating meals, hotel costs, refunds, and inconvenience compensation as one claim instead of separate rights
  • Forgetting other passengers on the same booking — each person can be owed a separate amount
  • Missing the one-year airline claim deadline or failing to keep proof of submission

How TripFix Intake Works

Ready to move forward? Start your claim with TripFix now. In chat, tell Goose what happened and upload your booking confirmation or itinerary. Goose checks available flight records, gathers the claim facts, provides a preliminary estimate of what may be owed, and prepares a claim brief for you to review and authorize. Once complete, your file is submitted to TripFix for human review. Starting and assessment are free; if your claim proceeds, there is no fee unless compensation is recovered.

Not Sure If You Qualify?

Start with TripFix by telling Goose what happened and uploading your booking confirmation or itinerary. Goose checks available flight records and prepares a claim brief for you to review. Starting and assessment are free; if your claim proceeds, there is no fee unless compensation is recovered.

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