The Canadian Transportation Agency wants feedback from Canadians about the government's proposed changes to Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). It's opened 30 days of public consultations.
Canadians can submit comments about the proposed rules online until 10AUG.
As Open Jaw reported, the government recently passed legislation aimed at closing loopholes that critics claim have allowed airlines to avoid compensating customers when flights are delayed or cancelled.
During a rocky air travel recovery, the CTA has been grappling with a growing number of passenger complaints against airlines to process, reports CBC News. The complaints backlog now totals 52,000 — roughly triple the number of a year ago. It's currently taking the CTA about two years to process a complaint.
France Pégeot, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency, said, "The Canadian Transportation Agency welcomes the opportunity to improve the air passenger protection regime. We are committed to improving how air passengers complaints are processed and to provide better services to Canadians."
The amendments to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations tighten the rules for airlines, with delays or cancellations caused by most problems - including technical problems and even problems outside an airline's control - now requiring airlines to quickly re-accommodate or compensate pax.
The new rules would also allow customers to claim a refund if the government raises the risk level of travel to certain countries or if a flight disruption prevents them from completing their trip within a reasonable period — well under the current threshold of 48 hours, reports the Toronto Star.
Further, the changes require more timely information about disruptions from airlines and cap the number of flights in a row where carriers can cite “knock-on effects” caused by a problem elsewhere, CP24 reports, such as inclement weather, as a reason to deny compensation.
The National Airlines Council of Canada, an industry group representing four of the country’s biggest carriers, has denounced the potential scrapping of safety concerns as an exception to compensation requirements.
After considering the feedback and comments received, the CTA will publish draft regulations. There will be an opportunity to review and comment on the draft regulations before they are finalized.
More information can be found on the Canadian Transportation Agency's website.
