Air PassengerRights.ca Media Release
WHAT: Transport Minister Marc Garneau will be making an announcement related to the second phase of the government’s air travel rules on December 13, 2019 at 9 am at the Domestic Arrivals area at the Ottawa International Airport.
Air passenger rights advocate Dr. Gábor Lukács will provide a response to the government’s announcement and analysis of the new rules from the perspective of Canadian air passengers.
WHY: The new rules shortchange stranded air passengers. Airlines do not have to pay compensation for the most common cases of flight delays and cancellations, including those caused by aircraft maintenance issues for which the airline is fully responsible.
The new rules are based on fundamentally flawed legislation that was pushed through last year. Draft regulations, released in December 2018, attracted substantial criticism from consumer rights advocates. The public sent more than 8,000 emails of protest to the government. Air Passenger Rights (APR), Canada’s nonprofit advocacy group for air traveller rights, released a 52-page report with 24 recommendations to correct critical flaws in seven areas. The government ignored all criticism from the travelling public, and instead implemented amendments requested by the airline industry.
The government has characterized its industry-friendly legislation and regulations as an “air passenger rights bill” while actually reducing protection for travellers. Dr. Lukács will provide a consumer-centric review of the regulations.