Belgium attacks: Air Canada, others let travellers reschedule

Air Canada and other airlines are allowing some passengers flying through Brussels to rebook their flights for no additional charge, following Tuesday'sdouble bombing at Belgium's Zaventem airport.

Air Canada customers who bought a ticket involving travel to or from Brussels betweenMarch 22 and March 28 will be allowed to change their flight at no cost. Thenew flight must take place before April 30, and must have seats availablein the same cabin as the original flight in order to avoid additional fees.

An Air Canada spokesman said this is a "normal policy when uncontrolled or unforeseen events disrupt or threaten to disrupt our schedule."

A spokeswoman forTransatTours Canada saidTransathas no flights to Brussels until late April. ButTransatsaid itwilllet passengers who missed flights from Charles de GaulleAirport in Paris and Gatwick Airport in London on March 22 or 23to take standby flights for free, depending on availability.

American Airlines is giving travellers a similar option, offering to waive ticketing fees for customers travelling to or from Brussels between March 22 and March 29. American is also offering changes to flights to and from Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, London, and Paris.

Delta Airlines is also offering free ticket changesforpassengers travelling to, from, or through Brussels, Amsterdam, or Paris between March 22 and March 31.

At least one guided tour agency is also letting customers in Canada and abroad reschedule their trips. Globus, which operates the Cosmos, Avalon Waterways, and Monograms tour brands,says travellers who were planning to take a tour or cruise that includesBrussels through April 22 may change their departure date to later this year, or next year if necessary.

A common practice

Allowing airline passengers to rebook their tickets for free under certain circumstancesis a common industry practice,according toRickErickson, managing director of Calgary-based aviationconsultantsRP Erickson and Associates.

"Essentially, they're saying 'look, we're people too, and this is how we'd like to be treated,'" saidErickson."It's a goodwill gesture, one of the few times that the carriers are so easy on that goodwill front."

"All carriers have little choice, because there are a number of unknown variables over the course of a year," addedErickson, citing the 2010eruption of theEyjafjallajkullvolcano in Iceland as a good example.

Inclement weather is by far the most common reason thatairlines would let passengers rebook their tickets without having to pay switching fees, saidErickson, followed by unforeseen events like terrorism or public health concerns.

Zaventemairport near Brussels will remain closed through at leastThursday, as a forensic investigation into the bombings continues.