Tabled in the House of Commons as part of a broader budget bill, the new provisions ratchet up penalties on airlines, shore up the complaint process and target luggage and flight disruption loopholes that have allowed airlines to avoid customer compensation.The proposed $250,000 maximum fine for airline violations -- a tenfold increase from the existing regulations -- encourages compliance, said Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer with the advocacy group Option consommateurs.
Undergoing first reading Thursday, the new legislation further demands that airlines institute a process to deal with claims and respond to complaints with a decision within 30 days. The establishment of "complaint resolution officers" at the Canadian Transportation Agency should expedite the process, De Bellefeuille said.
Lukacs pointed to one amendment that states the complaints process "shall be kept confidential, unless the complainant and the carrier otherwise agree.""They're trying to create more smoke and mirrors," he said. The National Airlines Council of Canada, an industry group representing four of the country's biggest carriers, said the government should focus on other priorities such as airport upgrades and warned that the cost of tougher passenger protections could trickle down to travellers.
The new amendments overlapped with some of the measures in a private member's bill put forward last month by NDP transport critic Taylor Bachrach. But the legislation did not go so far as to adopt automatic compensation for travellers whose flights are delayed or cancelled."The fines in the legislation as it currently stands are insufficient to act as a deterrent.