CTA proposes option to fine airline passengers who go public with complaint resolutions

If you’re currently in the process of having an airline complaint resolved by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), you’d best keep the final result to yourself. Proposed changes to the Canada Transportation Act would make sharing it publicly a violation punishable by a fine. Last year, the Canadian Transportation Act was amended such that when an order is handed down from a CTA air travel complaints resolution officer, the agency requires the carrier to make public certain details — the flight number, departure date, the nature of the delay (if applicable) and whether it provided “compensation or a refund” as dictated by their contract terms. But if asked by the complainant or carrier, the CTA can “decide to keep confidential any part of an order” other than the details listed above. Anything else about how the matter was settled, unless agreed upon by both parties, can’t be disclosed. “Applicants can discuss publicly the details of their travel journey/experience. What is confidential is the Complaint Resolution Process,” agency spokesman Jadrino Huot told the National Post via email. Last year’s update was decried at the time by Gabor Lukacs, founder and president of the Air Passenger Rights’ group and its Facebook page, who called it “unconstitutional” and felt that passengers should be permitted to share the rulings as it could inform other people in similar situations. He likened it to Canadian small claims court decisions, available for all to read online, being kept confidential. “Once mediation turns into binding decision-making, that cannot be kept confidential unless there are some very, very important issues like protecting victims in sexual assault cases,” he argued.<br/>