yyctimes

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Border agents seize $3.6 million in methamphetamine

    March 23, 2023

    $3.6M in meth seized from commercial vehicle at Coutts border crossing: RCMP

    March 23, 2023

    Alberta teen’s fatality inquiry to find solutions to protect children at risk: judge

    March 23, 2023
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter
    yyctimes
    yyctimes
    Home » Frustrated fliers file thousands of travel-related complaints in past few months
    yyctimes

    Frustrated fliers file thousands of travel-related complaints in past few months

    yyctimesBy yyctimesNovember 16, 2022No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    The turmoil continues for Canada’s airline industry.

    After being grounded for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, many airlines are facing another challenge — thousands of complaints from travelers demanding compensation.

    According to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), it received 20,978 air travel complaints from April 1 to October 31, 2022.

    The CTA’s website also points out that these are only the complaints officially filed with the agency, not those handled by the airlines themselves.

    Read more:

    Sunwing travelers stranded in Mexico demand answers, compensation

    Gábor Lukács, founder of the group Air Passenger Rights, told Global News that airlines must take responsibility for some of the problems plaguing travelers.

    Story continues below advertisement

    “They can’t push the envelope so far as to claim everything is a safety issue,” he said.

    Lukács referred to complaints from passengers who canceled or delayed flights due to crew restrictions and IT outages. Passengers told Global News they were denied compensation because the airline said those things were “out of their control”.

    “It doesn’t matter what the airline thinks about a matter, it matters what the law says,” Lukács pointed out.

    “When an airline experiences an IT issue, it’s generally within an airline’s control.”

    The longtime consumer advocate added that all airlines have a “contractual obligation” to get fliers to and from their destination in a reasonable amount of time, regardless of what’s going on.

    “If your flight is cancelled, the airline must book you on the next available flight,” he added.

    Lukács went on to say that if the airline refuses, passengers should book their own flight with a competitor and then try to get a refund from the original airline.

    Read more:

    More WestJet flight cancellations, disruptions expected after weekend outage

    Steps travelers can take to get compensation

    So what can passengers do if the airline won’t accommodate their compensation request? Lukács pointed out several ways to attract their attention.

    Story continues below advertisement

    • Send a letter or email to the airline documenting everything that happened
    • Claim compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations
    • Allow the airline 30 days to respond
    • File in small claims court if the airline refuses to pay or fails to provide an adequate explanation as to why it is not paying

    However, Lukács does not recommend filing a complaint with the CTA, adding that he believes they are part of the problem.

    “I would discourage passengers from going through the Canadian Transportation Agency,” he said.

    “They are cozy with the airlines. They do not help passengers in the vast majority of cases.”

    He added that the GTA has a large backlog of complaints to process.

    Read more:

    Summer of airport chaos: Complaints backlog rises as regulator faces staff

    The CTA told Global News it is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal and economic regulator. It added that it does have to engage with industry stakeholders to carry out some of its regulatory functions, but that does not make it biased.

    “This does not affect the ability of the CTA to decide matters affecting the rights and interests of parties in an independent and impartial manner.”

    Regarding the backlog of complaints, the GTA said all complaints are eventually processed. It added that it can now process around 15,000 complaints per year compared to the 5,000 complaints (per year) before the pandemic.

    Story continues below advertisement

    Global News also reached out to the Minister of Transport. His office told us, “passengers have rights and they must be respected.”

    The spokeswoman said passengers are further protected thanks to new rules added on Sept. 8, and that the federal government has provided an additional $11 million to the CTA to allow it to handle passenger disputes in a more timely manner.

    © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.



    Source link

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    yyctimes
    • Website

    Related Posts

    $3.6M in meth seized from commercial vehicle at Coutts border crossing: RCMP

    March 23, 2023

    Alberta teen’s fatality inquiry to find solutions to protect children at risk: judge

    March 23, 2023

    Stanford study finds largest recorded Alberta earthquake likely caused by oilsands wastewater

    March 23, 2023

    Stanford study finds largest recorded Alberta earthquake likely caused by oilsands wastewater

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Privacy commissioner investigating Alberta Energy Regulator over Kearl oilsands site leak

    March 23, 2023

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Don't Miss
    yyctimes

    Border agents seize $3.6 million in methamphetamine

    By yyctimesMarch 23, 2023

    Breadcrumb path hyperlinks Native information Revealed on March 23, 2023 • Final up to date…

    $3.6M in meth seized from commercial vehicle at Coutts border crossing: RCMP

    March 23, 2023

    Alberta teen’s fatality inquiry to find solutions to protect children at risk: judge

    March 23, 2023

    Stanford study finds largest recorded Alberta earthquake likely caused by oilsands wastewater

    March 23, 2023
    Our Picks

    Border agents seize $3.6 million in methamphetamine

    March 23, 2023

    $3.6M in meth seized from commercial vehicle at Coutts border crossing: RCMP

    March 23, 2023

    Alberta teen’s fatality inquiry to find solutions to protect children at risk: judge

    March 23, 2023

    Stanford study finds largest recorded Alberta earthquake likely caused by oilsands wastewater

    March 23, 2023

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    Our Picks

    Border agents seize $3.6 million in methamphetamine

    March 23, 2023

    $3.6M in meth seized from commercial vehicle at Coutts border crossing: RCMP

    March 23, 2023

    Alberta teen’s fatality inquiry to find solutions to protect children at risk: judge

    March 23, 2023
    New Comments

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.