A New Brunswick woman will be able to fly to England to see her dying mother after all, after Air Canada did an about-face in regards to a policy about switching names on a plane ticket.

Sheila Belsham’s 86-year-old mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in July. The Florenceville-Bristol resident says her mother has become increasingly ill over the past few weeks.

“Last couple of weeks her health has deteriorated to the point where I feel I’ve really got to go home,” says Belsham. “I know that she hasn’t got long and it’s a very hard thing to come to terms with, but I just feel I need to see her because it just means everything.”

Belsham says her partner already happened to have a flight booked to England on Dec. 27, so he offered to give her his ticket.

“I was just over the moon he was going to give me his ticket. I was so grateful he was going to do that for me.”

She called Air Canada to get the name on the ticket switched, but the airline told her they couldn’t.

“I phoned Air Canada and was really shocked to hear that they do not change the name on a ticket in any circumstances.”

Instead, the airline’s customer service told her they could cancel the ticket and give her partner half of his money back.

“At the moment, the price is in the region of $1,800. They were willing to give me a 20 per cent discount because they have a plan if it’s a bereavement case, but the cost is going to be over $2,000 for something we already own,” says Belsham.

She posted her story on social media and some of her friends and family reached out, offering to pay for her plane ticket. But she says it’s not just about the money – it’s about the principle.

“Why should they do that? It’s so kind, but why should they do that? I’m not asking Air Canada to give me anything for free. I’m just asking just to change a name on a ticket.”

CTV Atlantic contacted Air Canada about Belsham’s situation on Thursday and the airline issued the following statement late that afternoon:

“It’s important to note that for security and regulatory reasons, airlines cannot simply change the name of a person on a ticket bought for an international flight; this applies to ALL airlines. The ticket must be cancelled and a new one issued with certain fees applying.

We certainly want to help her under these circumstances and so we’ll be pleased to help her change her ticket at no cost, and will be contacting her directly to offer assistance.”

Belsham says she is thrilled she will be able to see her mother, at no extra cost, but she wishes airlines would be willing to make changes for others in similar situations.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Blackford