Air Canada claim deadlines: one year is not the only clock
Short answer: an APPR compensation request for an Air Canada delay or cancellation must reach the airline within one year of the event, and the airline has 30 days to pay or explain. That rule is not the universal deadline for EU261, UK261, baggage, refund or court proceedings. Identify each claim and forum before calendaring it.
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Deadlines were checked on 19 September 2026.
Put each clock on a separate line
| Claim or step | Current starting point |
|---|---|
| APPR delay or cancellation compensation request | send to airline before first anniversary of disruption |
| Air Canada response to APPR compensation request | 30 days to pay or explain |
| CTA complaint eligibility | written airline request first; unresolved after 30 days |
| Damaged baggage written claim | within 7 days of receiving the bag |
| Delayed international baggage written claim | within 21 days of receiving the bag |
| EU261 civil claim | limitation period set by relevant national law |
| UK261 civil claim | generally 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; generally 5 years in Scotland, subject to legal analysis |
These are not interchangeable. A timely CTA complaint does not automatically save a late European court action, and a property irregularity report is not always the required written baggage claim.
The APPR one-year rule
For current Canadian delay and cancellation compensation, the passenger must submit the request to the carrier before the first anniversary of the event. Air Canada then has 30 days to provide compensation or explain why it is not payable.
Send early. A form failure on the last day creates avoidable proof problems. Save the confirmation page, case number, submitted text and attachment list.
The one-year request rule concerns the statutory APPR compensation. It does not mean that every contract, expense, personal injury or Montreal Convention claim has the same deadline.