Complaints over denied compensation for flight delays still unresolved following lengthy inquiry

Nearly two years after launching an inquiry into thousands of complaints from airline passengers claiming they were wrongly denied compensation for delayed flights, the Canadian Transportation Agency has issued a decision. However, affected passengers must still wait for a resolution. That's because instead of attempting to resolve the complaints, the CTA has directed airlines to reconsider the passengers' request for compensation based on new guidance the agency has provided. The disputes stem from the federal Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) launched in 2019. The regulations mandate that passengers receive up to $1,000 in compensation for flights that are delayed or cancelled for reasons within an airline's control, such as routine maintenance issues or overbooking. Soon after the regulations fully took effect on Dec. 15 of that year, the CTA was flooded with more than 3,000 passenger complaints, claiming the reasons the airlines had provided for denying them compensation were either inadequate or unfounded. On Feb. 13, 2020, the CTA launched an inquiry that focused on 567 of the complaints, involving all of Canada's major airlines: Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, Sunwing and Swoop. As a result of that inquiry, the CTA has now issued airlines guidance on what situations are considered within an airline's control, involving matters such as crew shortages, computer outages and maintenance. The CTA said passengers whose cases remain unresolved despite the new guidance can contact the agency by Feb. 15, 2022, for help in reaching a resolution. <br/>