Air passenger complaints face huge backlog in Canada

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, formal passenger complaints against airlines in Canada were backing up.

The Canadian Transportation Agency received some 26,000 complaints between July 2018 and April of this year.

Complaints are supposed to be handled within a delay of 30 to 120 days, yet figures show that over half (14,000) of the complaints remain unresolved.

Problems include flight delays and cancellations, boarding issues and denials, pricing and charges, and long waits on ramps and taxiways.

The CTA had created a website where complaints could be filed

Most of the complaints on backlog came before the coronavirus travel restrictions, and were the result of passenger protection regulations that came into effect in July 2019, followed by additional regulations in force in December.

Those rights included financial compensation for being bumped from a flight, and ability to leave the plane if its held on the tarmac for more than three hours and clear and timely information on such things as flight delays or cancellations, policy on lost or damaged luggage. Large airlines should also provide compensation for delays within their control and not related to safety.

From  March 11 to last week, a period when the coronavirus began to spread and travel restrictions came into force some 5,500 additional complaints were filed.

With the virus related shutdown of almost all flight, many are frustrated the money paid for cancelled flights is not being refunded, instead airlines are offering flight vouchers redeemable for two years.  For many passengers, later flights are not possible and many are also affected by their own virus-related financial problems and need the money back.

Last week, federal Liberal transport minister Marc Garneau said it would be “disastrous” for the industry if airlines forced to refund the money, which amounts to billions of dollars. He added that Canada needs an airline industry and it has to be able to survive and rebuild after the pandemic fades.

Also last week, Prime Minister Trudeau said,  “I hear clearly the concerns that Canadians have around their air tickets,” said Trudeau. “We will continue to work with the industry and with concerned groups of Canadians to ensure that we find a fair way through this. But I know Canadians at the same time want to make sure we continue to have an airline industry after this very difficult pandemic.”

The International Air Traffic Association (IATA) represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 per cent of global traffic. In its latest press release of May 26 said global airline industry could rise to US$550 billion by year end

As for the CTA, it told CBC news that it had temporarily halted discussions with airlines about the complaint in order to allow them to focus on other immediate issues adding that it will resume discussions in July.

Ian Jack, spokesman for the Canadian Automobile Association which had been among those pushing for a passenger bill of rights, told CBC News that, “If we don’t have a system that people can trust because it’s going to deal with a complaint in a timely fashion, then the system just falls apart and we’re no better off than we were before we pushed to get this airline passenger bill of rights”.

Although there is a huge backlog, the CTA says it had doubled the number of complaints processed over the last two years.

With regard to the recent virus situation and cancelled flights and refund complaints, two separate petitions have been submitted to Parliament with over 25,000 signatures calling for the government to require airlines to refund passengers.  Consumer groups also insist that any federal public aid to airlines must include requirements to refund passengers who want it.

Both the European Union and the United States says while flight vouchers are a reasonable option, passengers should be refunded if they request it.

additional information-sources

• CBC: Patel/Burke:May 31/20: Canadiant Transportation Agency overwhelmed  by 2-year backlog of air passenger complaints
• CBC: A.Burke: May 29/20: Canadian airlines could ‘fail’ if forced to refund passengers, says transport minister
•  TorStar: D.Olive: May 21/20: Trudeau says airline passengers deserve refunds, but he’s not enforcing the rules- he knows the airlines would go bust if he did
• Global News: B Britneff: May 21/20: “People are livid”; Advocates call on feds to make airlines give refunds amid COVID-19
• Financial Post: E.Jackson; May 14/20: Canadian airline passengers are entitled to vouchers for cancelled COVID-19 flights, but what about refunds”