Canadian Transportation Agency Increase Rights for Passengers Travelling with Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat

“Prior to the new guidelines, it was left to the airlines’ discretion whether to grant a refund or to rebook a passenger. If a refund was warranted, it was only provided for the unused portion of the ticket, the CTA said. But under the new rules, passengers can choose whether to take a refund or be rebooked on a later flight if the delays are within the carrier’s controls.

In certain cases, they even allow passengers to be booked on the next flight to their destination, even if it is on another carrier, at the airline’s expense. If overbooking or cancellations prompt travellers to cancel their whole trip if they miss their connection at another airport, they will also be entitled to a return trip home, free of charge, and a full refund for their entire ticket, the agency said.

Chantal Laflamme, CTA spokeswoman, said the new regulations would not apply to delays, cancellations or overbookings resulting from events such as weather disruptions or security issues at an airport, for example.

The CTA has given Air Canada 45 days to comply with the new rules, and WestJet and Air Transat 30 days, because they have already made headway on the changes.”

And all these because of one guy, Gábor Lukács, a 29-year-old former math professor, who filed five complaints in 2009 against the three airlines over their policies to compensate passengers for delays or cancellations within the carriers’ control.

“I have grown to appreciate Shaw: ‘Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people,’” Mr. Lukacs said.

The full article from Financial Post is here.