In the wake of holiday travel chaos that left Canadian travellers in limbo due to cancelled or delayed flights that triggered emergency House of Commons transport committee meetings to address the situation beginning 12JAN, Canada's mainstream news outlets have turned against airlines with a wave of scathing editorials.
As reported by Open Jaw on 13JAN 2023, the House of Commons' transport committee held an emergency meeting on 12JAN on the travel chaos, which saw airline executives from Sunwing, WestJet and Air Canada in the hot seat, as well as testimony from federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.
Airlines placed much of the blame on the severe winter weather and also asked for the federal government to invest more into airline industry infrastructure to help carriers deal with future weather-related disruptions. Meanwhile, Alghabra insisted that airlines "violated" the rights of pax and reiterated that he is looking to strengthen Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations.
However, the Globe and Mail says that's not enough. "Transport Minister Alghabra could show a little more red-hot anger at airlines," writes one headline. "...Airline executives won’t be shaking in their boots. Mr. Alghabra would have been better off if he could make a few of them quiver," wrote the author.
The Globe reports that MPs at the meeting were looking for accountability and looking for Alghabra to do more and "punish" the airlines. MPs aren't the only ones calling for action - the Globe also published two more editorials criticizing the current state of Canada's commercial airline industry.
"Canada’s passenger rights regime is fundamentally flawed," argues one article, highlighting that Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) make it "too easy" for airlines to avoid liabilities cancellations and delays, often resulting in denial of compensation for the passenger. Currently, compensation not provided to passengers for issues under the airline's control that are deemed to be "safety issues," such as crew shortages, routine mechanical problems or a strike. Additionally, the Globe notes that airlines have a "near-zero" possibility of enforcement from the Canada Transport Agency (CTA) after violating the APPR. "The CTA rarely issues notices of violation, and when it does the fines are minimal," says the Globe.
Because of this, the Globe says it is "cheaper for airlines to ignore passenger rights than to respect them."
Additionally, the Globe is also going after Canada's airports, writing that the federal government must be held accountable for issues at airports and change their financial structure, which the source says would lead to enhanced service and reduced fees for both airlines and pax.
Meanwhile, the Star isn't quite sure if the airline industry will learn any lessons after the holiday travel chaos. "It was clear that everyone appearing was very, very sorry for what had transpired," one author for the Star wrote. "It was clear less though whether the vows that lessons are being learned will translate into true change."
For starters, the Star says better communications are necessary, informing travellers about the status of their flights, the length of delays and the options when flights are cancelled. Additionally, the author writes that how the industry handles logistics can be better, too - from airport issues, flight scheduling issues, and the CTA making the claims process easier for pax.
In a separate editorial, the Star writes that the emergency hearing on the holiday travel chaos "fell short." Yes, apologies were offered, but the Star notes that airline and airport executives "were able to say how things went so terribly wrong over the holidays — except to say that a lot of things went wrong at the same time."
According to the Star, part of the problem is the APPR, which they say isn't "much of a help" for pax stuck over the holidays. "As things now stand, passengers’ rights in Canada are more aspirational than inspirational," the author writes.
The Star also suggests that airlines are avoiding some accountability from pax, who "are a resigned lot when it comes to travel" after three years of the pandemic.
If the tone of these recent editorials is anything to go by, passengers' patience with disrupted air travel and difficult-to-obtain compensation may be at an end.
