Canada’s Air Passenger Bill of Rights Expected in Place by Summer 2019 Travel Season

Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau this week proposed new rules that offer stronger protection for travelers flying into or out of Canada.  The proposals are the result of consultations that began earlier this year with various stakeholders, including ACTA, to develop an Air Passenger Bill of Rights in the wake of public outcries about passenger treatment related to airline over-bookings, tarmac delays, and incidents like lost baggage.

ACTA remains actively involved in this process. Minister Garneau previewed some of the draft proposals on Monday, but all the draft proposals will be available this weekend. ACTA will be thoroughly examining the complete first draft and we will fully participate in the next round of consultations launched by the Minister this week. The Minister is inviting feedback on the draft proposals by the end of February, after which a final version of the Passenger Bill of Rights will be announced in the Spring. It’s expected the Regulations will be in place for the Summer 2019 travel season. 

ACTA was contacted for comment by media immediately following the Minister’s announcement this week to speak on behalf of our Members and we acknowledged that the new proposals are a valuable first step. We will have more to comment on once all the new proposals are released and we have time to assess the impact on our membership and your clients.

We’ll continue to update you with any new developments. Attached is ACTA’s submission from August 2018 on the proposed Air Passenger Bill of Rights. 

Listen to Heather Craig-Peddie VP Advocacy for the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies speak on Zoomer Radio:

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