The federal government has announced an increase in the maximum fine that airlines can face for repeated violations of the air passenger bill of rights to $1 million. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon disclosed this during a news conference, emphasizing that financial penalties are reserved for clear breaches to deter future occurrences. The air passenger protection regulations (APPR), enforced in 2019, mandate airlines to compensate passengers for controllable delays or cancellations.
Under the current regulations, airlines found repeatedly violating these rules can be fined up to $25,000. However, a proposed increase to $250,000 is pending implementation as part of the 2023 budget changes. Ian Jack from the Canadian Automobile Association expressed skepticism, suggesting that the increased fine may lack teeth without actual enforcement.
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has been grappling with a backlog of 95,000 air passenger complaints since the bill of rights was introduced. To address this, the government plans to outsource the resolution process to a neutral third-party organization, drawing inspiration from the U.K. and EU systems. Air Canada has already initiated a pilot program to redirect complaints to a third party.
While the third-party resolution process may help alleviate the backlog, there are calls for simplifying the regulations to expedite the resolution. The government has acknowledged the complexity of the current system and pledged to simplify it for better passenger understanding. The proposed new regulations are still awaiting implementation, with the priority being the swift resolution of the existing backlog.
Despite the focus on backlog clearance, concerns remain about the effectiveness of the current rules in addressing the high volume of complaints. Critics argue that the new regulations must be swiftly implemented to prevent further backlog accumulation.
