Unanimous support for Canadian airline passenger rights

Earlier today, Canada’s House of Commons voted unanimously in favour of a private member’s bill that will seek to ensure that airlines operating in the country provide passengers with a basic level of service, and offer more effective recourse to customers who are let down by their carrier. The bill calls on the Government of Canada to create a so-called “passenger bill of rights.” At the core of this piece of legislation is the aim to legally require airlines to offer passengers appropriate compensation whenever they fail to guarantee a basic level of acceptable service. A total of 249 Members of Parliament voted in favour of the bill, with not a single one casting a vote against it.

The European Union already has a similar passenger bill of rights and Canada looks set to follow in the EU’s footsteps. According to the terms of this new piece of legislation, passengers will have the right to demand compensation if they have been bumped from a flight due to overbooking, as well as for lost or delayed luggage, and for delayed or cancelled flights. Consumer rights activists have long called for such a bill, as they have noted that cost cutting measures initiated by most carriers in recent years have often very negatively affected passengers.

Air Canada, nor surprisingly, pointed out that it felt as though it was being unfairly targeted by this proposed bill, when it some cases, flight delays are beyond its direct control. For example, the country’s flag carrier noted that delays are often caused by problems at security check-points, as well as by the actions of border and customers officers.

www.aircanada.com