The Canadian Transport Agency (CTA) has launched a new web page where decisions regarding air travel complaints will be posted.
The CTA explains that it is part of the Complaint Resolution Authority, which was launched in September 2023 following amendments to the Canada Transport Act.
“Decisions are issued for complaints that meet the eligibility requirements of the law and are not resolved with the airline directly or through mediation, or withdrawn by the passenger,” it said.
The webpage was launched on April 30th and will be updated quarterly.
CTAs
CTA does not post the full decision or reasoning online. The database only contains information about the flight number, flight date, issue, whether it is under the control of the airline, and what CTA ordered.
While some complaints were dismissed by the CTA, others resulted in airlines being ordered to refund or pay customers the amount owed.
Air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukács believes this is not enough and wants the CTA to post the entire decision online.
“The secrecy surrounding these decisions is contrary to Article 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” he said in an email. “The CTA should fully disclose all of these decisions, including their reasons.”
Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations set out the rights of air travelers and require airlines to compensate passengers in the event of delays or cancellations. However, in reality, it was difficult for passengers to receive the compensation they were entitled to by law.
Lukács has previously criticized the federal government for failing to enforce its own rules, saying passengers often resort to small claims court to recover unpaid money.
