TRAVEL NEWS | Do you know your rights as an Air Passenger?
Happy 2020 to all of our readers! We wanted to start off our year with some information regarding air passenger rights in Canada to ensure you all can continue to have a hassle free travel experience
In May 2018, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) befan developing regulations for air passengers to establish obligations airlines had towards passengers including compensation levels and standards of treatment. The CTA is a independent quasi-judicial tribunal and regular that has jurisdiction similar to that of the superior court where it can exercise its powers.
Their three core mandates are:
helping to keep the national transportation system running efficiently and smoothly,
protecting the fundamental right of persons with disabilities to accessible transportation services,
And providing consumer protection for air passengers.
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) came in to effect July 15th 2019 in which passengers have rights under the CTA when they travel by air. The CTA initiative requires airlines to meet certain obligations towards passengers such as the following:
communicating to passengers, in a simple, clear way, information on their rights and recourses and regular updates in the event of flight delays and cancellations;
providing compensation of up to $2,400 for bumping a passenger for reasons within the airlines’ control;
ensuring passengers receive prescribed standards of treatment during all tarmac delays and allowing them to leave the airplane, when it’s safe to do so, if a tarmac delay lasts for over three hours and there is no prospect of an imminent take-off;
providing compensation for lost or damaged baggage of up to $2,100 and a refund of any baggage fees; and
setting clear policies for transporting musical instruments.
The CTA has launched an online service for air passengers for them to learn more about their rights, file a travel complaint and find tips for hassle-free travel.
Happy Traveling,
The Luxe and Lavish Travels Team
