Air Canada Partners with Hopper to Offer “Cancel for Any Reason” Option

Air Canada Partners with Hopper to Offer “Cancel for Any Reason” Option

Air Canada on Wednesday announced a partnership with Hopper that gives the airline’s customers the option to purchase “Cancel for Any Reason” policies on eligible non-refundable fares booked on the Air Canada website.

Hopper says this is the launch of Hopper Cloud for Airlines, which will give carriers access to its full travel inventory and fintech products. Hopper Cloud, the company’s B2B product, launched in 2021 with Capital One as its first partner. Since then travel companies such as Trip.com, Amadeus and Uber and banks including NuBank and Commbank have signed on.

The cancellation policy allows Air Canada customers to cancel flights up to 24 hours before scheduled departure. Depending on the level of coverage purchased, refunds will vary between 80% and 100% and will be issued immediately.

Obviously this comes with a price. The fee is priced dynamically depending on the particular flight or demand. 

In the example above we have a $132 flight from Toronto to New York. It will cost $15 per traveler to have the option of an 80% refund, and $20 per traveler for 100% of flight cost covered. Cancel for Any Reason is available for Air Canada’s Standard, Flex, Premium Economy Lowest and Business Class Lowest fares.

Air Canada is offering the feature as a supplement to its standard refund and cancellation policy. You can still cancel within 24 hours of purchase without penalty, for any reason.

“A cornerstone of Air Canada’s customer promise is to offer the best selection of flights at appealing fare levels,” said Mark Galardo, executive vice president for revenue and network planning for Air Canada. “We do this by providing a menu of branded fares, each with its own attributes so customers can design their travel to suit their needs. But we also know that travel plans can change, so we are pleased to partner with an innovative Canadian travel technology partner such as Hopper to offer ‘Cancel for Any Reason,’ giving customers added flexibility and peace of mind when booking.”

When customers select an eligible fare on Air Canada’s website, they automatically will be offered the option to choose a “Cancel for Any Reason” plan for eligible fare types. Should they later need to cancel the trip, they can do so on the “My Bookings” page of the airline’s website and receive their refund subject to applicable terms and conditions. The feature is offered in addition to the standard Air Canada refund and cancellation policy.