by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 10:30 AM ET, Thu February 5, 2026
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has issued a detailed clarification regarding air passenger complaint wait times, saying recent analysis circulating publicly does not provide “a complete, or in some cases accurate, picture” of how complaints are processed and resolved.
The clarification follows the publication of a recent analysis by Courtready that examined air passenger complaint timelines using publicly available Canadian Transportation Agency data.
According to the CTA, using the number of days between a flight date and the date a decision is issued does not accurately represent how long a complaint waits at the agency.
“The study uses the number of days between the date of the flight and a decision being issued by the CTA to demonstrate the time a complaint waits at the CTA. This is not accurate,” the agency told TravelPulse Canada.
The CTA explained that in most cases, passengers have up to one year after a flight incident to file a complaint with the agency. Before submitting a complaint to the CTA, passengers are also required to first submit a claim to the airline. Those who are not satisfied with the airline’s response, or who have not received a response within 30 days, can then file a formal complaint with the CTA.
“This means that the flight date should not be used to evaluate the time it takes the CTA to process a complaint,” the agency said.
The CTA also said that not all complaints are resolved through formal orders issued by complaint resolution officers, which are the decisions published on the agency’s website. As a result, relying only on published orders does not capture the full scope of complaints handled.
“For example, some cases are settled directly with the airline and others are closed administratively depending on the specifics of the case,” the CTA said.
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The agency stated that it closed 3,247 total complaints in September 2025, compared to figures that reference only the 1,348 orders issued during that month.
The CTA further noted that individual orders should not be conflated with individual complaints. A single complaint may include multiple issues or requests, such as a refund for expenses and compensation for inconvenience, which are published as separate orders even though they stem from the same complaint.
“Taking all of this into account, 55.3% of all decisions rendered since the launch of the CTA’s Air Travel Complaints Resolution Office on September 30, 2023, have been in favour of the passengers,” the agency said.
The CTA reported that its current backlog stands at approximately 92,500 complaints. The agency attributed the backlog not only to the number of cases being closed, but also to a sustained increase in complaints being submitted.
Rising air passenger complaints submitted to the CTA by fiscal year. (Photo Credit: CTA)
Complaint volumes have risen sharply in recent years, increasing from 7,650 in the 2018–19 fiscal year to 46,980 in 2024–25. As of February 1, 2026, 33,323 complaints had already been submitted in the 2025–26 fiscal year.
The CTA said it is trending toward its fourth consecutive year receiving more than 40,000 complaints and noted that January 2026 marked its highest-ever monthly intake, with 5,685 complaints submitted.
In response to rising volumes, the CTA launched its Complaints Resolution Office (CRO) on September 30, 2023, replacing its previous complaint-handling model with what it described as a more streamlined and automated approach.
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During the 2024–25 fiscal year, the CRO closed more than 33,600 complaints, representing a 201% increase compared to the last full fiscal year before the CRO was created, when 11,158 cases were closed.
From April 1, 2025, to February 1, 2026, the CTA said 24,952 cases have been closed, and it expects to finish the current fiscal year with a similar total.
(Photo Credit: CTA)
The agency acknowledged that some cases remain in the backlog longer than typical due to complexity or extenuating circumstances and said that not all cases are handled in the order they are received.
Approximately 1% of cases in the backlog were received prior to April 1, 2023, while 84% were received between April 1, 2024, and the present.
Once a complaint resolution officer opens a case and begins work, the CTA said it takes an average of approximately 60 days to close it, not including the time the complaint waits in the backlog.
The CTA acknowledged that wait times are increasing due to the high volume of complaints and said it continues to develop new tools, processes, and strategies to maximize the number of complaints resolved. The agency said it is working to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to assist complaint resolution officers in rendering decisions more quickly but cannot estimate projected wait times for new complaints.
The agency also said it has recently launched a new passenger protection website to provide travellers with information about their rights and the complaints process.
The CTA encourages passengers to keep copies of important documents, including tickets, booking confirmations or invoices, Property Irregularity Reports (PIR) for baggage issues, and receipts for repairs or replacement items, and to track delays and cancellations from the original departure time.
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