Proposed CTA Amendments Raise Passenger Ire

A notice on the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website indicating proposed amendments to the Canadian Transportation Agency Designated Provisions Regulations is causing a stir in the world of passengers’ rights advocates. 

The CTA indicates it is looking to apply fines or “administrative monetary penalties” (AMPs) to enforce regulations and sections of the Act. 

At issue particularly is subsection 85.09(1) which pertains to the confidentiality of “All matters related to the process of dealing with a complaint,” a section which has already been met with questions, such as on the blog Administrative Law Matters. 

As it works now, if a passenger and airline are unable to come to an agreement over compensation for an issue covered under the Air Passengers Protection Regulations, they can go to the CTA for help. The proceedings are to be kept confidential (unless both parties agree otherwise). 

The proposed amendment would allow the CTA to assign a fine if confidentiality is broken, and that is what some see as a major problem. “The government is not serving the public interest here whatsoever,”  Gábor Lukács with Air Passenger Rights told Global News. He feels this will serve the airlines. “Well, in reality, the function here is making these disputes go away and make sure that the airlines can continue doing what they are doing, continue keeping this shabby corporate conduct confidential,” he said in the interview. 

On the Air Passengers Rights Facebook group, Lukács urges people to share their concerns via the CTA website. 

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