Revised airline compensation rules will preserve status quo: consumer advocate

Proposed changes to Canada's passenger rights charter will perpetuate loopholes that allow airlines to forego compensating travellers whose flights are disrupted, say airline experts. Ottawa has proposed an update to rules surrounding airlines' obligations when a flight is delayed or cancelled by designating certain factors outside a carrier's control, such as weather that could affect flight safety, as "exceptional circumstances." Under the amended rules, airlines are still generally not required to provide compensation for inconveniences to passengers in situations involving such factors, though there are some exceptions. But Air Passenger Rights advocacy group president Gabor Lukacs called the weekend announcement of the proposal "deceptive" and said that Transport Canada is actually "preserving the status quo." He said that under the newly outlined rules, which are now open to a 75-day feedback period, around half of flight delays and more than two-thirds of cancellations would still not qualify for compensation. Previously, Canada's passenger rights charter — which took effect in 2019 — divided flight disruptions into three categories: those caused by factors within the carrier’s control, disruptions within the carrier’s control but required for safety purposes, and those outside the airline's control. Passengers had only been entitled to compensation in the first of those categories.<br/>