When Nanaimo residents Jeff McRae and Melissa Green got an email Thursday from Air Canada saying that their trip home from Montreal, scheduled for Saturday morning, might be affected by a labour dispute, they thought it would be best to cancel the flight. But when Green spoke with an Air Canada agent on the phone the next day, she advised her not to cancel it, saying they wouldn’t be refunded the ticket cost if they cancelled their booking prematurely. Their flight was cancelled Friday evening, but the couple went to Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport the next morning, hoping to be scheduled on another airline. They had heard it was Air Canada’s responsibility to put them on another flight. Instead, Green and McRae said they were told to call the company or go online, where they learned they were “ineligible” for a refund or a rescheduling, despite having paid for cancellation insurance through Air Canada. “I just don’t know where to go from here,” said Green, adding that the couple is staying with family in Montreal, but they’re both expected to be back at work in Nanaimo on Monday. Green said the earliest available flight on Wednesday with Porter Airlines would cost them $1,600, and she’s hesitant to book those tickets because she wants to see a refund from Air Canada. McRae said he feels other airlines are “taking advantage” of passengers left stranded by Air Canada, hiking prices for desperate customers. “It kind of feels like you’re on your own.” Cathy Scott, CEO of Departures Travel in Victoria, said her travel agents have been busy taking calls from customers concerned about their flights. “People are panicking,” she said, noting that her team has temporarily stopped planning flights to focus on helping customers affected by the strike. Scott said Air Canada is legally obligated to pay for the next available flight on another airline for anyone whose trip has been cancelled, but said demand is so high that customers shouldn’t expect that to happen. “I would personally be booking a backup trip,” she said, adding that finding a different refundable ticket is the safest option. Lindsay Gaunt, vice president, revenue strategy and business development at the Victoria Airport Authority, said travellers should visit the Air Canada website to check the status of their flight before going to the airport. All Air Canada arrivals and departures from Toronto and Montreal were cancelled Saturday, according to the Victoria Airport Authority website. The strike began Friday at 10 p.m. Pacific and only affects flights by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, not ones by Air Canada Express, which are operated by Jazz Aviation and PAL Airlines. The federal government ordered Air Canada and its flight attendants into binding arbitration Saturday, signalling an end to the strike, but Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said it could take between five to 10 days for regular services to resume.