Canada unveils air passenger bill of rights
Canada’s transport Minister Marc Garneau unveiled a new air passenger bill of rights which could see airlines pay hefty compensation to disrupted fliers.
Rules have been drawn up based on feedback collected from earlier this year.
Another 60 day consultation period begins with a target of next spring to finalize policy.
For passengers on any flight departing or arriving in Canada, cash compensation of $400 will be paid for a delay of three hours, rising to as much as $1,000 for extra-long delays.
After a two-hour delay, airlines must provide refreshments to passengers and make Wi-Fi available.
When a delay is likely to be nine hours or longer, passengers must be rebooked on a competing carrier if available.
Garneau said the government reviewed rules in the US and EU when drafting the proposal.
Compensation would be valid for disruptions that are deemed the airline’s responsibility, but that won’t include mechanical issues.
That was criticized as an easy way out for airlines to avoid paying out compensation.
"By and large the carriers will get to decide what a maintenance issue is," said Ian Jack, spokesperson for the Canadian Automobile Association.
"We think there should be a tighter definition."
Air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs called it substantially inferior to EU rules.
The agency has also been criticized for dragging its feet, and it has taken a number of year just to get to this first draft stage.
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