TORONTO — A number of Air Canada passengers impacted by the August 2025 strike are voicing their concerns about delayed refunds.

In response to those concerns, an Air Canada spokesperson told CityNews in a statement that the complexity of some of the refund claims means those cases are taking more time than others. The Air Canada spokesperson told CityNews the airline is processing some 1,400 requests per day, and gave an anticipated completion timeline for the end of November.

The three-day August 2025 strike caused travel chaos for the airline and for travellers and the travel industry.

Air Canada’s Labour Disruption Claims online dashboard, found here and most recently updated today, Nov. 11, shows 98% claims processing progress and an anticipated finish line this week, i.e. the week of November 10. However there’s an asterisk with this post: “More complex claims may require additional time.”

“Our claims process is improving, as a result of Care team additions, streamlined procedures, and new digital tools,” says the airline. “Our back-end payment system was originally designed to issue refunds and basic compensation claims. However, expense reimbursement cases are all unique and each must be handled carefully, which adds to the time it takes to reach a resolution. We want to be transparent about these challenges as we continue to work towards resolving each and every claim.”

Passengers who were booked on an Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge flight scheduled between Aug. 15 – 23, 2025, and whose flight was cancelled, and were unable to return home, are able submit “reasonable expenses, such as overnight accommodations and meals, for reimbursement. This is in addition to reimbursing other reasonable transportation costs under our flexible rebooking policy if we were unable to rebook you,” says Air Canada on its site.