The Canadian government's planned changes to its "air passenger bill of rights" regulations are being criticized by both the industry and a passenger-rights group.
Air travel groups criticize feds’ proposed changes to air passenger bill of rights | True North - Elie Cantin-Nantel
April 30, 2023 - "Air travel groups are criticizing the Trudeau government’s proposed changes to the air passenger bill of rights – warning Canadians that the changes may result in higher airfares. This comes amid Canada already having some of the most expensive flight prices in the world.
"On Thursday, the federal Liberals tabled legislation to amend the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), as part of Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act [see video]. They claim that these amendments will lead to Canada having the 'toughest' passenger protection laws. The changes seek to limit situations in which airlines can refuse to compensate passengers affected by flight disruptions ... [and] will also increase penalties for non-compliant airlines, modify the complaint process and require airlines to pay the Canadian Transportation Industry a portion of the cost of processing complaints....
"[T]he National Airlines Council of Canada [NACC] warned in a news release that 'By imposing a new fee for passenger claims submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency and expanding compensation requirements, the cost of air travel may increase, threatening access, connectivity, and choice for passengers'.... '[T]argeted infrastructure funding, re-investment of airport rent, increasing the accountability of third-party service providers, and reduction of costs and fees would strengthen the system, as has been repeatedly recommended by many parliamentary committee and government reports issued over the last several years.'
"The Liberals’ proposed changes are also being criticized by Air Passenger Rights president Gabor Lukacs. Lukacs told True North 'the government is weakening passenger rights in Canada'.... The ... amendments have also been criticized by opposition parties, with Conservatives saying they 'will do nothing' to address a backlog of passenger complaints. The NDP described the changes as 'complex, bureaucratic and expensive'....
"The changes to Canada’s Passenger Bill of Rights come after a disastrous 2022 that saw air passengers subjected to extremely long wait times [and] delays, as well as several flight cancellations."
Read more: https://tnc.news/2023/04/30/air-passenger-bill-of-rights/
"Canada changes air passenger bill of rights," CBC News, April 25, 2023:
Overhaul of air passenger rights charter a step backwards: advocate | CTV News - Katherine Dow:
April 26, 2023 - "Gabor Lukacs, president of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group, says the bill will actually weaken passenger rights. The proposed legislation was unveiled Monday by Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. He touted the bill as one that tightens loopholes, putting the onus on airlines to show a flight disruption is caused by safety concerns or reasons outside their control.
"'The minister promises to close that loophole. The minister’s bill actually perpetuates that, and references that terminology in four different places,' Lukacs said.... 'By the same stroke of a pen, he's adding a loophole that allows airlines not to pay any penalty at all if they sign a so-called compliance agreement. They just promise to behave going forward, and they walk away scot-free.'
"Meantime, the industry group representing four of the country’s biggest carriers denounced the possible nixing of safety concerns as an exception to compensation requirements. 'No airline should be penalized for adhering to the highest standards of safety, whether that is due to weather, mechanical issues or other safety-related constraints,' said National Airlines Council of Canada president Jeff Morrison in a statement....
"[T]he legislation also calls for airlines to roll out a process to respond to complaints with a decision within 30 days. The move comes after the Canadian Transportation Safety’s complaints backlog ballooned to about 45,000. Each requires at least 18 months on average to resolve. Lukacs said it’s rare an airline will end up paying once a complaint is issued because there are currently no meaningful consequences for the airline if it refuses."
Read more: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/overhaul-of-air-passenger-rights-charter-a-step-backwards-advocate-1.6372021
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