Canadian Passenger Protection

Standard notice
If you are denied boarding, your flight is cancelled or delayed for at least two hours, or your baggage is lost or damaged, you may be entitled to certain standards of treatment and compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. For more information about your passenger rights please contact your air carrier or visit the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website.

Si l’embarquement vous est refusé, ou si votre vol est annulé ou retardé d’au moins deux heures ou si vos bagages sont perdus ou endommagés, vous pourriez avoir droit au titre du Règlement sur la protection des passagers aériens, à certains avantages au titre des normes de traitement applicables et à une indemnité. Pour de plus amples renseignements sur vos droits, veuillez communiquer avec votre transporteur aérien ou visiter le site

Denied boarding
There are times when guests book seats on our flights but decide not to travel without letting us know. We monitor flight bookings closely and, considering such guests who may not show up for the flight, we determine the number of tickets we make available for sale in respect of each flight. There ‎are a few occasions when we do not get this right, and this creates an overbooking ‎situation. ‎This does not include situations where a guest is refused carriage for safety, security or health reasons.

In all overbooking situations, we will actively ask all guests if they are willing to give up their seat in exchange for voluntary compensation, prior to denying boarding involuntarily.

If it becomes necessary to involuntarily deny boarding, the following guests will not be denied carriage:

Unaccompanied Minors
Guests with disabilities and their support person
Member of a family member travelling together
A guest previously denied boarding on the same ticket

We will also not remove a guest who is already on board, except for safety, security or health reasons.

Compensation for volunteers
We will offer an amount higher than the compensation prescribed by the Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations for guests who volunteer to give up their seats. Voluntary denied boarding compensation shall be paid in the form of Travel Bank credits. Travel Bank is a virtual credit platform. These credits are redeemable towards future Etihad Airways flights. Travel Bank credits will not expire, and any remaining balance may be utilized against future flights. If the actual delay turns out to be more than our estimate, we will adjust the compensation to reflect the actual delay.

In addition, considering the time of the day and the length of time you should wait for the alternate flight, we will provide food and refreshments, and where needed, overnight accommodation including transportation to and from the accommodation and access to communication.

Compensation for denied boarding
The Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations require us to compensate a guest who is denied boarding for their inconvenience and make alternate travel arrangements. It requires us to pay as compensation:

CAD 900 if the arrival at the destination is delayed by less than 6 hours;
CAD 1800 if the arrival at the destination is delayed over 6 hours but less than 9 hours; and
CAD 2400 if the arrival at the destination is delayed by 9 hours or more.

If we are unable to provide you with the above compensation before the departure of your alternate flight, we will provide you with written confirmation of the amount we will pay you as compensation.

If the actual delay turns out to be more than our estimate, we will adjust the compensation to reflect the actual delay.

Delays and Cancellations

In the event of a flight delay or cancellation, we will inform you:

the reason for the delay/cancellation;
the care and the compensation that we will provide you; and
recourses available against us, including your options with the CTA.

We will communicate new flight status information to you as soon as possible. In the case of a delay, we will also provide status updates every 30 minutes until a new departure time is set or new travel arrangements have been made.

Our obligations in respect of care and compensation depend on the cause of the flight disruption.

if the reason for delay / cancellation is within our control and not safety – related, we will offer care & compensation and rebook you in order to complete your itinerary or provide you a refund.
if the reason for delay / cancellation is within our control and is safety – related, we will offer care and rebook you in order to complete your itinerary or provide you a refund.
if the reason for delay / cancellation is outside our control, our obligation is only to rebook you in order to complete your itinerary.
The events which are deemed out of our control, include:
weather conditions or natural disasters that make the safe operation of the flight impossible;
instructions from air traffic control;
airport operation issues;
medical emergency;
security threat;
collision with wildlife;
war or political instability;
illegal acts or sabotage;
Notice to Airmen (as defined in the Canadian Aviation Regulations);
labour disputes within the carrier or an essential service provider such as an airport or an air navigation service provider;
a manufacturing defect in an aircraft that reduces the safety of passengers and that was identified by the manufacturer or a competent authority; or
request from a police, security or customs official.

Care we will provide:

If we hadn’t notified you of a flight disruption at least 12 hours before the scheduled departure time and except when the disruption is outside our control, if a flight is cancelled or when a flight delay reaches two hours, we will provide you:

food and drink in reasonable quantities; and
access to means of communication (e.g., free Wi-Fi).

If you are expected to wait overnight for your new flight, we will offer hotel or comparable accommodation free of charge; and provide free transportation to and from such accommodation.

Compensation we will provide:

If we have notified you of the disruption 14 days or less in advance, we will provide compensation for the inconvenience of flight delays and cancellations if the disruption is within their control and not related to safety. This will be based on the length of your delay, which is determined by the arrival time at the final destination on your ticket.

If the length of the delay is:

from 3 to 6 hours, your compensation is CAN $ 400;
from 6 to 9 hours, your compensation is CAN $ 700;
9 hours or more, your compensation is CAN $ 1000.

If you have already received compensation for the same event under the passenger protection rules of another country, you cannot receive further compensation under the Canadian regulations. You have one year to make a compensation claim to us and it must be made in writing. We will respond within 30 days seeking instructions for payment or telling you why compensation is not owed.

We will inform in writing the cash you are entitled as compensation and if any other alternate form of compensation we could offer. You will have the right to choose between them.

If you have opted for a refund because rebooking does not meet your travel needs or there is no longer any purpose to the travel, you will be given CAN $ 400 as compensation for inconvenience in addition to the refund.

Seating of children under 14
We will facilitate seat assignment of children under 14, near a parent or guardian at no additional charge at the time of check-in or at the boarding gate. In case of a child who is 4 years of age or younger we will provide a seat that is adjacent, for a child who is 5 to 14 years, if we unable to provide a seat that is adjacent, we will provide a seat in the same row that is separated by not more than one seat. If no such seats are available, we shall seek volunteers to change seats.

Musical instruments
Musical instruments which fit into the dimensions permitted as cabin baggage (such as small flutes or violins), will be transported free of charge as part of your cabin baggage allowance.

If the instrument (such as bass or cello) does not fit into the overhead bin or exceeds standard cabin baggage dimensions or weight, you may purchase an additional seat for the instrument to carry it in the cabin by making prior arrangements through our Global Contact Centre.

Alternatively, you may check in your musical instrument as part of your checked baggage allowance or if you are exceeding your checked baggage allowance, you may purchase excess baggage.

Delayed and lost baggage
Delayed baggage must be reported immediately at the airport by the guest, or in writing within 48 hours of arrival. Guests with delayed baggage are eligible to claim for Interim Relief (IR) payment, to cover the cost of purchasing immediate and reasonable necessities. (IR claims shall be directed to the online baggage claim form on Etihad.com) For a potentially lost baggage, the claim must be submitted within 21 days after the day it was supposed to arrive.

For delayed or lost baggage compensation, guests are required to submit the following along with their claim on Etihad.com:

Boarding card
Receipts
Bank account details
Passport
Bag tag
Signed release and indemnity form

If a guest’s bag is missing after 21 days, it is considered lost. For lost bags, you will be reimbursed for any applicable baggage fee paid and will receive (including incidental expenses) up to 1,288 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per guest/per bag (approximately $2,350.00 CAD) in replacement value for your baggage.

Tarmac delays
A tarmac delay is defined as a delay on the tarmac after the doors of the aircraft are closed for take-off or after the flight has landed.

Etihad will provide the following standard of treatment in the event of a tarmac delay:

Access to lavatories, in working order
Proper ventilation and cooling or heating of the aircraft
If it is feasible to communicate with people outside the aircraft, the means to do so
Food and drink, in reasonable quantities, considering the length of delay, time of day and location of the airport

If the tarmac delay occurs, you have the right to disembark 3 hours after the aircraft doors have been closed for take-off, unless the aircraft departure is imminent i.e. in the following 45 minutes and we are able to continue to provide the above standard of treatment.

There is an exception to the obligation to provide an opportunity to disembark if this is not possible for reasons of safety and security or related to air traffic or customs control.

We will give guests with disabilities and any support persons the opportunity to disembark first, if possible.

We will facilitate access to assist if urgent medical assistance is required before takeoff or after landing.

Access to information
Our airport staff shall provide alternative access to a notice display or letter provided to you, on request. This may be provided when requested, either by larger font size or by emailing you a copy of the notice or letter.

Read International passenger rules and fares tariff for tickets purchased in Canada.