Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency announced the details of the country’s air passenger bill of rights, but customers will have to wait several months before eagerly awaited flight delay compensation kicks in.
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations roll out in two phases starting on July 15.
It includes clear rules on compensation for denied boarding, tarmac delay policy, lost or damaged baggage and the carriage of oversized baggage like musical instruments.
"We are delighted that this day has finally happened because we’ve been working on this for a very, very long time," said Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
Compensation for delays and cancellations comes in from December.
If sets out compensation of $400 for a delay of three to six hours, and $1000 for a delay of up to nine hours.
"The intention wasn’t to create a package that would somehow tilt the playing field completely in one direction or the other, but one that would actually give strong protections to passengers while still taking into account the operating realities for airlines," said Scott Streiner, CEO of the CTA.
The Canadian Automobile Association criticized the delay for compensation to take effect and wants more clarification over the generic term ‘outside an airline’s control’ including maintenance issues.
"We’re concerned about a gray area about what the government is calling mechanical issues with the plane," said Ian Jack, CAA’s managing director of communications.
