DO PASSENGERS NEED A BILL OF RIGHTS

Posted on 03/09/2016 | About Canada

A recently released report that had been commissioned by the Harper administration reveals that Canadian passengers enjoy some protections when they travel abroad that they may not be entitled to in Canada. In many other countries carriers have more liabilities when it comes to delayed flights on the tarmac and pay steep penalties as a result.

The review was headed by David Emerson was launched on June 25, 2014, and concluded on December 21, 2015.The Canadian Transportation Act shows that Canadian carriers comply with rulings set out in the US and in the European Union. The report identifies “an unusual situation where Canadian air travellers benefit from strong and codified consumer protections when travelling abroad, even while flying with Canadian air carriers.”The report says, “Canadian travellers deserve similar levels of treatment when travelling within Canada as they do across the border.”Canadians do not have documented consumer protection in a number of scenarios, including reimbursement for lost luggage and compensation for being bumped off full flights.There is a call for changes to the current protocol for addressing complaints, citing a lack of consistency, transparency and predictability for passengers, suggesting there is a volume of complaints by a small number of determined individuals.Passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs took offense at that. He has filed 27 cases with the Canadian Transportation Agency in the past decade on behalf of other people.“What they are proposing is to wait until something happens, and then you can complain,” he said, noting the review recommends restricting complaints to passengers, not others.“This flies in the face of what the purpose of regulatory legislation is – it is to ensure the problems don’t happen,” he added.Lukacs wants a passengers’ bill of rights, but he insists that it must be vigorously enforced with steep penalties.“If it’s not enforced, it’s worthless,” he said.Transport Minister Marc Garneau intends to consult with provincial and territorial politicians as well public and private stakeholders about the issues raised in the report.