It’s a cumbersome and drawn-out process, but Canadian air passengers who have disputes with airlines are winning half of the time when they escalate their complaints to Canada’s transport regulator.
According to a CBC News analysis, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ordered airlines to compensate or refund passengers in 50% of the 9,740 cases resolved between September 30, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
Nearly three quarters (72.6%) of passenger wins saw airlines ordered to pay compensation for flight disruptions. The balance saw carriers pay to reimburse customers for added expenses or issue refund flights.
Canadian Transportation Agency (Photo Credit: Photo: CTA)
In all of these cases the CTA issued the ruling after the airline had denied a passenger's claim, and two parties failed to resolve the matter
A new online tool on the CTA's website offers the ruling data. But some people aren’t happy, because full CTA decisions, formerly posted online, are now confidential. The reasons behind a ruling and compensation awarded are no longer made public.
Of the newly 10,000 claims settled, 32.8% involved Air Canada, 30% concerned WestJet complaints. The CTA still has a backlog of more than 74,000 cases
Air Canada spokesperson Christophe Hennebelle told the CBC that only 39.5% of CTA decisions resulted in an order to pay a passenger. "Air Canada, in the vast majority of cases, properly compensates its customers," he said. WestJet declined to comment for the story.
