The sky was gray this spring, and not just literally. Canada’s airlines were the target of twice as many complaints as in the same period last year.
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From April 1 through June 30, their number rose from 4,255 in 2022 to 10,561 in 2023, with the Canadian Transportation Agency (OTC) putting a 148% increase, according to federal agency data.
The main reason passengers complained was flight disruptions, essentially flight delays and delays, in 65.2% of cases. The other two are communication and assistance (13.3%) – customer service – and lost luggage or goods (6.5%).
Air Canada tops the list with 37% of complaints, compared to 15% for WestJet and 9% for low-cost airline Flair.
Regarding airports, 21.7% of complaints come from Toronto, compared to 9.7% from Calgary, 8.7% from Vancouver, 8.6% from Montreal and 3% from Edmonton.
The CTA currently has a backlog of 52,000 complaints. The number was 36,000 last January and 13,400 in March 2022.
According to the organization, the chaos at the airports in the summer of 2022 and the big holiday storms of 2022-2023 are the main culprits.
Decisions are made in the shadows
However, this does not explain the 148% increase observed in the spring. “There were more flights than last year, but most importantly, the airlines still treat their passengers very, very badly,” said air passenger rights activist Gabor Lukacs.
The founder of the organization Air Passenger Rights points out that on the one hand the passenger protection regulations are not clear and on the other hand the government does not enforce them.
“These two things together create a recipe for disaster,” he says.
Ottawa introduced bill C-47 in April to, among other things, increase airline liability in the event of problems.
The CTA has also just started consultations on the proposed changes.
Despite all the good intentions, the Trudeau government is still missing the mark, believes Mr Lukacs.
First, its draft regulations “do not meet European standards for passenger protection,” the industry’s gold standard.
Then “it does not include a transparent grievance arbitration process,” which is also argued by a respected law professor at the University of Ottawa.
“Proceedings before the CTA are conducted in secrecy and decisions on airline passenger matters are not necessarily made public,” wrote Paul Daly, research chair in administrative law and governance, shortly after C-47 was filed with the chamber.
“Decisions are always made in the shadows after the introduction of C-47,” he asserts.