MPs Urge Transport Minister to Introduce Stricter Air Passenger Protection Regulations

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra speaks with reporters before appearing as a witness at a House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities in Ottawa on Jan. 12, 2023. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

MPs on a House of Commons committee are urging Transport Minister Omar Alghabra to introduce stricter air passenger protection regulations to make it easier for Canadians to receive compensation for poor airline service.

In a report titled “Strengthening Air Passenger Rights in Canada,” the Commons Standing Committee on Transport advised that cabinet quickly revisit its Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.

“Over the course of its study, the Committee heard from many witnesses on the shortcomings of the APPR, as well as potential methods of improvement,” said the report, tabled in the House on April 18.

The regulations were introduced by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) in 2019 and guarantee passenger compensation from airlines for a number of situations, including flight delays.

Alghabra said in January that his department was looking to strengthen the regulations following major travel disruptions over the holiday season that saw a number of Sunwing Airlines customers stranded abroad long past their planned return dates.

The updated regulations are yet to be introduced, but Alghabra told the Commons transport committee on Jan. 12 that he was aiming to introduce the proposals during Parliament’s spring session.

“Some work still needs to be done,” Alghabra said at the time. “The work started before Christmas, but the plan that I’m aiming for will be during the spring session.”

APPR ‘Designed to Fail’

The committee wrote in its report that, during its study on the matter, it “heard a range of opinions on the viability of the APPR as a passenger rights regime.”

It mentioned that Gábor Lukács, the president of a non-profit organization called Air Passenger Rights, told the committee that the APPR is “essentially a sham.”

“It creates the appearance that there is passenger protection regulation in Canada. It serves as a way to provide answers to those legitimate calls to provide a European-style protection regime, but it was designed to fail,” Lukács told the committee in November 2022.

“We cautioned the government. We also cautioned the Canadian Transportation Agency in February of 2019 about all the flaws, and we predicted them.”

Shortly after appearing before the committee on Jan. 12, Alghabra told reporters that cabinet was looking to impose tougher penalties on airlines for poor service.

“We’re going to keep our eye on the ball,” he said. “We’re going to keep ensuring that the airline sector remains focused on protecting passengers right.”

Current APPR regulations set airline penalties for flight delays from $400 for delays of three hours to $1,000 for delays of over nine hours. Airlines could also be liable for up over $2,300 in compensation if passengers’ baggage is damaged, delayed, or lost during international travel.

Andrew Chen contributed to this report.