The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has issued fines to Canada's major airlines for hundreds of violations related to mass flight delays and cancellations last summer and over the December holiday season.
Canada's transport regulator is tasked with enforcing federal air passenger protection regulations. Since new regulations came into effect in 2019, the agency has been overwhelmed with tens of thousands of complaints.
Among the fines announced, the biggest one -- $126,000 - went to Sunwing, for 36 violations identified as failing to keep pax updated during December flight delays and cancellations. At the peak of the holiday travel season, a major winter storm caused Sunwing to cancel 67 flights, disrupting travel plans for thousands.
According to the CTA, Flair Airlines was fined $39,000 for 40 violations relating to failing to provide compensation to passengers for flight delays last summer. It also received a $28,000 fine for 144 violations involving not providing compensation for a flight disruption or an explanation why it was denied within 30 days.
In January 2022, WestJet was fined $11,000 for 55 counts of failing to provide compensation to passengers for flight delays. It was then fined $112,800 for 122 counts of the same violation between July, 2022 and early January.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra (Transport Minister Omar Alghabra)
Some argue the fines don't offer much of a deterrent.
"The fines are low," Ian Jack, a spokesperson for the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), told the CBC. "We have yet to see the regulator really bring out a big stick on anything."
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced $75.9 million in additional funding over three years for the CTA. The funds will be used to hire 200 employees who will focus on processing a backlog of thousands of passenger complaints.
Topics From This Article to Explore
