Canada Can do Better for Air Travellers

90% of Canadians say a national airline consumer code is important.

The Canadian Automobile Association has been representing the travelling public since 1913. And for decades, we have been operating one of the country’s largest leisure travel agencies.

On behalf of our more than 6 million members from coast to coast, we have been advocating for better and clearer rights for air passengers.

That’s already the case in the United States and the European Union, where governments have passed strong consumer protection laws for air passengers. We believe Canadians deserve no less, so that when something goes wrong, they know what their rights are and how to claim them.

CAA advocated for clearer and improved rights for air travellers

Here is what we asked for, which was included in draft regulations:

• Industry-wide standards for passenger treatment.
• Mandated set payouts for long delays.
• Requirement that airlines inform travellers in clear, plain language what their rights are.
• Airlines will have to seat children near or beside their parents at no additional charge.

Here is what is missing:

• The proposed rules will, in most cases, require travellers to file a complaint with an airline in order to get compensation, even when it is obvious a plane was many hours late.
• In addition, there will be no compensation if a problem is caused by “mechanical issues” – the definition of which is not clear.

What Are Your Rights as an Air Passenger?

The Canadian Transportation Agency just released its draft air passenger rights regulations. In the meantime, each airline sets its own policies, which can be confusing for passengers.  The information is also often difficult to find and jargon heavy.

Watch the video to learn more about the Canadian Transportation Agency’s complaints process and new proposed legislation for air travellers.

What Did Canadians Tell CAA They Wanted to see in an air passenger bill of rights?