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Ryan Flanagan, CTVNews.ca Writer Thursday, September 5, 2019
Four major Canadian airlines have been fined for not complying with the new passenger protections that came into effect earlier this summer.
The Canadian Transportation Agency says Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines and Air Transat have all been penalized since the rules changed on July 15.
In all cases, the airlines were found to have failed to display required notices to passengers. Airlines are required to display information about passenger rights at check-in counters, self-service check-in machines and boarding gates.
WestJet was fined $17,500 for seven violations, Air Canada was fined $12,500 for three, and Air Transat and Porter Airlines were each fined $7,500 for three violations apiece.
The new regulations hold airlines to a higher standard of treatment for passengers during tarmac delays, including requiring them to allow passengers to deplane if they have spent three hours waiting to take off and a take-off is not imminent. Airlines are also now required to have clear policies explaining how they handle luggage containing musical instruments.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has not taken any other disciplinary action against airlines since the new regulations came into effect.
Another round of passenger rights protections will take effect in December. At that point, airlines will be required to compensate passengers for any delays or cancellations within the airline’s control, as well as rebook or refund passengers whose flights are delayed – even if that means they have to buy them a ticket for a competing airline.
Air passenger advocates have argued that this will do little to help passengers. They note that a broad array of issues ranging from airport problems to medical emergencies to weather conditions can be cited for delays without the compensation requirement being triggered.
A spokesperson for Porter Airlines told CTVNews.ca that the company corrected the “minor communication issues” as soon as they were notified of the fines.
“Porter has dedicated significant resources to implementing the regulations on very short notice and we are making every effort to comply with the rules,” the spokesperson said.
A group of 17 airlines, including Air Canada and Porter, has filed a legal challenge against the regulations, arguing that the Canadian Transportation Authority does not have the power to implement them. The Federal Court of Appeal has agreed to hear the appeal.