The sudden disruption to Air Canada’s flight schedule caused another chaotic long weekend at Canadian airports and left many customers stranded and frustrated.
Canadian airlines and airports claimed the top spot globally for flight delays over the Canada Day long weekend.
Air Canada, which announced late last week that it was cutting 15 percent of its flight schedule, or roughly 9,500 flights, ranked first for delays on Saturday and Sunday, as two-thirds of its flights took off late, according to the FlightAware tracking service. WestJet and its low-cost carrier Swoop were also in the top five for delays worldwide.
Read more: Canadian airlines and airports saw worst delays globally over long weekend
Gabor Lukacs, who runs a Facebook group to help travelers resolve disputes with airlines and regulators in Canada’s travel industry, says he and his team have been inundated with complaints in recent days.
Story continues below the ad
“We’ve been overwhelmed with requests for help and unfortunately we can’t get them all,” he told Global News on Monday. “The onslaught of problems that airlines create for society is simply enormous.”
While understaffing at Canadian airports has contributed to long lines and delays for months, Lukacs puts the blame for the recent turbulence squarely on the airlines themselves.
He said what’s happening in Air Canada’s network is similar to when an airline might book more than one flight, selling 110 tickets on a 100-seat plane, for example.
“We’re seeing something similar, but on a much larger scale,” he said.
2:00 Delays, missing luggage still plague Toronto Pearson International Airport Delays, missing luggage still plague Toronto Pearson International Airport
He argued that carriers had been too ambitious and had deliberately booked more than they had the capacity to sell, and were now leaving customers disappointed at the door.
Story continues below the ad
What can you do to make sure you get adequate compensation for a delayed or canceled flight? We have the answers for you here.
What am I owed if Air Canada cancels my flight?
Air Canada must refund passengers if their flight is canceled, but depending on when the carrier notified you of the disruption, you may be owed more.
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), which came into effect in 2019, require compensation — other than a refund — of between $400 and $1,000 for a cancellation or significant delay that is “within the control of the carrier” if the passenger chooses to refuse rebooking, and in some cases when they accept it.
In an email to affected customers last week, Air Canada CEO Michael Russo attributed the schedule changes to deficiencies in the “global aviation system,” calling them “unprecedented and unforeseen.”
Story continues below the ad
Read more: Air Canada cancels some summer flights amid travel chaos Who is responsible?
But these arguments do not hold water for Lukacs.
“Passengers should always keep in mind that this is 100 percent under the carrier’s control. No doubt about it, he said.
Trending stories
-
In Ontario group homes where children were called “paycheques”
-
Shooter on the loose after 6 killed and 24 injured at Chicago Fourth of July parade
Global News has contacted Air Canada to confirm whether it believes passengers will be eligible for such compensation. The airline confirmed it would “comply with its APPR obligations”, without saying whether it believed the disruption was under its control.
How long was your delay? When did they tell you?
Under federal regulations, passengers are owed alternative travel arrangements or a refund – at the passenger’s option – if they have been informed more than two weeks in advance that their flight has been canceled or delayed by three hours or more for reasons within the control of the carrier.
Story continues below the ad
If the trip is canceled within 14 days or less, passengers are owed $1,000 for a cancellation or delay of nine hours or more, and between $400 and $700 for a delay of three to nine hours.
No matter how long the notice, a passenger who chooses to decline a rebooking must receive $400 in compensation, in addition to a refund.
5:16 Travel Advisory: Continued delays affecting Canadian travelers Travel Advisory: Continued delays affecting Canadian travelers
An airline must endeavor to rebook passengers on a flight on its network that departs within nine hours of the original departure time. If it can’t, it must offer to book them on another airline’s network “as soon as possible,” free of charge, according to the passenger rights charter.
Lukacs notes that for international travel, you can also receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses and other losses, such as lost wages due to the disruption. This coverage falls under the Montreal Convention, a globally agreed set of airline compensation rules.
Story continues below the ad
Read more: Canada tightens flight refund rules. Do they go far enough?
What if the airline doesn’t pay?
If you are unable to contact an airline to request your refund or compensation, there are several other ways you can recover costs.
Lukacs says if an airline doesn’t confirm your refund or payments within 30 days, proceed “quickly” to small claims court to speed up the process.
In cases where an airline refuses to refund, a credit card return is a useful “last resort,” he adds. This would cause the credit card carrier to directly refund you for what ended up being a mistaken charge.
Lukacs says the pressure to fix airport and airline backlogs should not be on the carriers themselves, but on the federal government and the country’s air industry watchdog, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).
Story continues below the ad
He argued that airlines get away with poor customer service and fail to follow the letter of the law because they know they can get away with bad behavior.
Transportation Secretary Omar Algabra could order the CTA to take tougher enforcement measures, or the government could step in more directly to fix airport problems and force airlines to pay in full when their plans fail.
“I suspect the government will do absolutely nothing. And that’s where the problem lies,” Lukacs says.
Global News reached out to Alghabra and the CTA for comment on Monday.
The transport secretary’s office pointed to the new protections, which come into effect on September 8 — too late for summer travelers — as providing “clarity” for travelers affected by flights.
Read more: Canada tightens flight refund rules. Do they go far enough?
These provisions will require airlines to offer a rebooking or refund within 30 days if they cannot secure a new booking within 48 hours of a flight cancellation or “long delay”.
The ministry said the enforcement of all provisions under the APPR falls within the CTA’s purview. The agency said in a brief email to Global News that it was “pressured” by the current situation and was unable to comment Monday.
Story continues below the ad
— with files from Saba Aziz of Global News, The Canadian Press
1:52 Alghabra announces $105 million in funding for 4 Canadian airports, air traffic control Alghabra announces $105 million in funding for 4 Canadian airports, air traffic control
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Add Comment