The Canadian government has strengthened protections for air travellers, including requiring airlines to pay up to $2,400 in compensation to passengers who are involuntarily bumped from flights and as much as $2,100 for lost or damaged baggage — plus a refund of baggage fees.
The Canadian Transportation Agency’s (CTA) new Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which went into effect this week, also require airlines to “communicating to passengers, in a simple, clear way, information on their rights and recourses and regular updates in the event of flight delays and cancellations.”
Under the new rules, airline also must allow passengers to exit the aircraft when subject to tarmac delays of three hours or longer when “there is no prospect of an imminent take-off,” according to a CTA press statement.
“The Air Passenger Protection Regulations establish clear, fair, balanced obligations that will help ensure fair treatment when people travel by air — whether they’re flying from, to, or within this vast country,” said Scott Streiner, chairman and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency.
Further protections are due to come into force on December 15, 2019, including compensation of up to $1,000 for passengers subject to long delays that are “in [airlines’] control and not related to safety, and a requirement that airlines seat young children in close proximity to their parents.
Airlines passengers flying in Canada can get information on their rights through a new website, airpassengerprotection.ca, where complaints also can be filed.
