Canadian Transportation Agency CTA
CTA publishes a new dashboard providing the number of complaints it receives per 100 flights flown by airlines
GATINEAU, QC, Dec. 19, 2022 /CNW/ – The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) today announced the publication of new data to provide Canadians with additional information about the air travel sector. The data shows the number of air travel complaints submitted to the CTA per 100 flights operated by Canadian and foreign airlines.
The complaints data is compiled by the CTA and will be updated on a quarterly basis.
The tables include:
- air travel complaint data submitted during 3-month time periods
- airlines that operated a minimum of 100 flights to/from/within Canada during each time period
- airlines with an average of 1 or more complaints per 100 flights
Background
- The complaint data is based on the information submitted by passengers and may not have been reviewed by the CTA at the time of publishing
- The data is based on the number of flights by airline and does not reflect the number of passengers per flight or the size of the aircraft
- The data used for this dashboard is based on all of the air travel complaints submitted to the CTA; the numbers do not imply whether or not an airline actually met its regulatory requirements
- Most complaints (97%) are resolved informally through facilitation or mediation; other complaints move to a formal adjudication process
- Airlines identified in the complaint may change based on the information supplied by the passenger and the airline during the complaint review process
- Complaints related to accessibility are not included in these tables
- The number of flights operated per airline during the time period is provided by a third party (Cirium)
About the CTA
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court. The CTA has three core mandates: 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. To help advance these mandates, the CTA makes and enforces ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and level the playing field among competitors, resolves disputes using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication, and ensures that transportation providers and users are aware of their rights and responsibilities and how the CTA can help them.
New Refund Regulations now in Force
GATINEAU, QC, Sept. 8, 2022 /CNW/ – The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) today announced that the Regulations Amending the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which provide additional refund requirements, are now in force.
Until now, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations only required refunds to be provided for flight disruptions within the control of airlines.
The new requirements now require airlines to provide passengers with either a refund or rebooking, at the passenger’s choice, when there is a flight cancellation, or a lengthy delay, due to a situation outside the airline’s control that prevents it from ensuring that passengers complete their itinerary within a reasonable time. They apply to all flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights.
The new regulatory requirements:
- Require airlines to provide a passenger affected by a cancellation or a lengthy delay due to a situation outside the airline’s control with a confirmed reservation on the next available flight that is operated by them or a partner airline, leaving within 48 hours of the departure time indicated on the passenger’s original ticket. If the airline cannot provide a confirmed reservation within this 48-hour period, it is required to provide, at the passenger’s choice, a refund or rebooking;
- Identify what costs must be refunded (unused portion of the ticket, which includes any unused add-on services paid for);
- Identify the method to be used for refunds (same as the original payment, e.g., a return on the person’s credit card);
- Require airlines to provide a refund within 30 days.
The new regulations apply to flight disruptions that occur as of September 8, 2022.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a gap in Canada’s air passenger protection framework: the absence of a requirement for airlines to refund tickets when flights are cancelled, or where there is a lengthy delay, for reasons outside airline control and it is not possible for the airline to ensure that the passenger’s itinerary is completed within a reasonable time.
On December 21, 2020, the Minister of Transport issued a direction giving the CTA the authority to develop new regulations to close this gap for future travel. In a letter accompanying the direction, the Minister asked that the CTA design the regulations in a manner that is fair and reasonable to passengers and, to the extent possible, not impose an undue financial burden on carriers that could lead to their insolvency.
Consultation process
On December 21, 2020, the CTA launched a consultation process seeking feedback on certain questions to help shape the new requirements. A summary of this input can be found in the resulting What We Heard report.
On July 3, 2021, the CTA published its proposed Regulations Amending the Air Passenger Protection Regulations in Part I of the Canada Gazette for public review and comment. A second round of consultations invited stakeholders and the public to comment on the proposed regulations, which ended on October 1, 2021. The results of both consultations have informed the final amendments to the regulations, which were published in Part II of the Canada Gazette on June 22, 2022.
Reference material
- Highlights of the new refund regulations
- FAQs – new refund regulations
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations
- Air Passenger Protection: Know your rights
- APPR Guides
About the CTA
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court. The CTA has three core mandates: 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. To help advance these mandates, the CTA makes and enforces ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and level the playing field among competitors, resolves disputes using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication, and ensures that transportation service providers and users are aware of their rights and responsibilities and how the CTA can help them.
Air passengers losing patience with enforcement agency as backlog of complaints balloons
Web News • 13 August 2022
Total air travel complaints up last year on increased backlog: CTA
Web News • 23 June 2022
Click to View đź”— a new window (or tab) will open to an external site reporting on Canadian aviation news.
New refund regulations
GATINEAU, QC, June 22, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ – The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) today announced that the Regulations Amending the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which provide additional refund requirements, are published in Part II of the Canada Gazette. They will come into force on September 8, 2022.
Until now, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations required refunds to be provided for flight disruptions within the control of airlines. The new requirements will require airlines to provide passengers with either a refund or rebooking, at the passenger’s choice, when there is a flight cancellation, or a lengthy delay, due to a situation outside the airline’s control that prevents it from ensuring that passengers complete their itinerary within a reasonable time. They will apply to all flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights, taking place after the coming into force of the regulations.
The new regulatory requirements:
- Require airlines to provide a passenger affected by a cancellation or a lengthy delay due to a situation outside the airline’s control with a confirmed reservation on the next available flight that is operated by them or a partner airline, leaving within 48 hours of the departure time indicated on the passenger’s original ticket. If the airline cannot provide a confirmed reservation within this 48-hour period, it will be required to provide, at the passenger’s choice, a refund or rebooking;
- Identify what costs must be refunded (unused portion of the ticket, which includes any unused add-on services paid for);https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2020/12/minister-garneau-directs-the-canadian-transportation-agency-to-develop-a-new-regulation-to-address-future-large-scale-flight-cancellations.html
- Identify the method to be used for refunds (same as the original payment, e.g., a return on the person’s credit card);
- Require airlines to provide a refund within 30 days.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a gap in Canada’s air passenger protection framework: the absence of a requirement for airlines to refund tickets when flights are cancelled, or where there is a lengthy delay, for reasons outside airline control and it is not possible for the airline to ensure that the passenger’s itinerary is completed within a reasonable time.
On December 21, 2020, the Minister of Transport issued a direction giving the CTA the authority to develop new regulations to close this gap for future travel. In a letter accompanying the direction, the Minister asked that the CTA design the regulations in a manner that is fair and reasonable to passengers and, to the extent possible, not impose an undue financial burden on carriers that could lead to their insolvency.
Consultation process On December 21, 2020, the CTA launched a consultation process seeking feedback on certain questions to help shape the new requirements. A summary of this input can be found in the resulting What We Heard report.
On July 3, 2021, the CTA published its proposed Regulations Amending the Air Passenger Protection Regulations in Part I of the Canada Gazette for public review and comment. A second round of consultations invited stakeholders and the public to comment on the proposed regulations, which ended on October 1, 2021. The results of both consultations have informed the final amendments to the regulations.
Quote
“These regulations will close the gap in the Canadian air passenger protection regime highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that even when cancellations and lengthy delays occur that are outside the airline’s control, passengers will be protected if the airline cannot complete their itinerary within a reasonable period of time. Starting September 8, 2022, if an airline cannot rebook passengers within 48 hours of their original departure time, it will be required to provide at the passenger’s choice, a refund or rebooking, regardless of the type of ticket they purchased.”
France PĂ©geot, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency
Reference material
About the CTA
The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and regulator that has, with respect to all matters necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction, all the powers of a superior court. The CTA has three core mandates: 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. To help advance these mandates, the CTA makes and enforces ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and level the playing field among competitors, resolves disputes using a range of tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication, and ensures that transportation service providers and users are aware of their rights and responsibilities and how the CTA can help them.
Canadian Transportation Agency will issue a final public determination on June 1
May 4, 2022
Important Notice from the CTA on the Flair determination
Flair has submitted its response to the preliminary determination issued by the Agency on March 3, 2022. The Agency is in the process of reviewing it.
The Panel will consider all evidence and if it determines at the end of the process that Flair is not Canadian, Flair’s licences would be suspended.
On June 1st 2022, the Agency will issue a final public determination with reasons and conclusions.
The Agency does not comment on its determinations as they speak for themselves.
Please consult the reference material below for additional information.
Reference material
Canada Transportation Act, SC 1996, c 10.
Background
The Agency is responsible for ensuring all air carriers licensed to provide domestic air services meet the Canadian ownership requirements set out in the Act. These requirements state that air service licensees must be owned and controlled “in fact” by Canadians. The Agency uses business and other information to determine whether a licence holder or applicant is “in fact” Canadian.
For more information, consult the CTA’s Guide to Canadian Ownership and Control in Fact for Air Transportation and frequently asked questions on air licencing.
Canadian Aviation News 
You must be logged in to post a comment.