Air Transat has been hit with a $295,000 penalty for failing its customers who were stuck on two delayed planes for hours.
The Canadian Transportation Agency ordered the airline to pay the penalty to the 590 passengers stuck on planes at Ottawa for nearly five and six hours respectively.
This is over and above out-of-pocket expenses accrued by the stranded passengers who were stuck on the tarmac in sweltering conditions.
The two jets were diverted to Ottawa en route to Montreal from Brussels and Rome as the airline and airport blamed each other for the marathon tarmac delays.
Passengers at an earlier inquiry described conditions as ‘deplorable’ and CTA concluded cabin crew were not properly aware of the airline’s legal obligation to passengers during tarmac delays.
The agency said passengers had requested food and drink and by not supplying it Air Transat was in breach of its legal obligation.
"There is no basis for any argument that the carrier is not responsible for non-performance of its obligations," the CTA report said.
The incident has sparked much media attention and has been the catalyst – along with the United Airlines dragging scandal – for a full passenger bill of rights which the federal government is introducing at the moment.
