Airlines, Agencies Struggle to Respond as Passengers Rush to Rebook After Jet Ban

An Air Canada Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft is shown next to a gate at Trudeau Airport in Montreal on March 13, 2019. Canada restricted Boeing 737 Max 8 aircrafts from its airspace on March 13. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL—Canada’s largest airline was inundated with calls as travelers scrambled to rebook flights after Ottawa joined dozens of countries in grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft March. 13.

Calls to Air Canada’s customer service line Wednesday and Thursday prompted a recording that said call volume has temporarily exceeded the company’s capacity to answer or even place callers on hold.