Any experience of the Air Canada Covid policy?

[jimboandthejetset]

Air Canada have moved my flight times by more than three hours, triggering the ability to obtain a full refund. (It looks like they have taken out their second Montreal flight.)
How long can I leave a decision on whether to cancel? And if I log in and choose seats etc will that be treated as if I had accepted the new flights?
Thanks

[jj]

Air Canada cancelled my direct flight to Calgary a few days ago and offered me a connection in Toronto as an alternative. I jumped at the chance to take a full refund rather than a voucher, and I’ve since rebooked to ski in the USA instead.

Travelling to Canada is a mug’s game at the moment. 99.9% of passengers are ‘randomly’ selected for a PCR test, and you have to quarantine until your results come through. You also have to prepare a quarantine plan that shows how you will spend a quarantine period of up to 10 days including details such as local food delivery companies that will sustain you while you isolate.

That would all be OK if teh test results came through quickly, which they don’t. Even if you ultimately test negative, you have a significant risk of needing to isolate for 3-4 days. Eeven worse, if the airport testing faility is over-full, you will be given a postal test that will add another couple of days to your isolation.

Unless you have good family reasons, my advice would be to stay away from Canada right now. They obviously don’t want you there, so go somewhere that will welcome rather than resent you.