New Air Passenger Protection Regulations Effective July 15, 2019

The new Air Passenger Protection Regulations came into force today. As noted in our June 6, 2019 edition of ACTAVision, the requirements that are effective July 15, are related to communication, tarmac delays, denied boarding, lost and damaged luggage, and the transportation of musical instruments. The more complex requirements related to flight delays and cancellations will come into force on December 15, 2019.

What Does This Mean For Travel Agencies?

At this point, it is important that our Members understand the new regulations require air carriers to take reasonable measures to ensure that anyone who is authorized to sell tickets in the carrier’s name complies with the Notice requirements to provide information regarding cancellations, delays and denial of boarding as defined in the regulations.

ACTA has been communicating with stakeholders involved in this initiative including the air carriers, GDSs, and the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) to understand clearly the responsibilities of our Travel Agency Members. At this point in time, ACTA can confirm the following:

1) The air carriers have or will be communicating directly with travel agency on what information needs to be shared with your clients.

2) The following standard notice provided by CTA that must appear on the passenger’s itinerary and furnished by GDSs was ready for today:

“If you are denied boarding or your baggage is lost or damaged, you may be entitled to certain standards of treatment and compensation under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. For more information about your passenger rights please contact your air carrier or visit the Canadian Transportation Agency’s website.

Si l’embarquement vous est refusé ou si vos bagages sont perdus ou endommagés, vous pourriez avoir droit au titre du Règlement sur la protection des passagers aériens, à certains avantages au titre des normes de traitement applicables et à une indemnité. Pour de plus amples renseignements sur vos droits, veuillez communiquer avec votre transporteur aérien ou visiter le site Web de l’Office des transports du Canada.”

3) Although it is responsibility of the air carrier issuing the ticketing to provide the required information on digital platforms the airline uses to sell tickets and on travel documents on which the passenger’s itinerary appears, additional discussions are ongoing with IATA on a possible solution to meet the requirements of providing the conditions of carriage which can vary by carrier and perhaps even by route for a specific customer journey.

ACTA will continue to keep you updated as new information becomes available from the CTA, air carriers and GDSs.

For more information, please contact Heather Craig-Peddie at hcraig-peddie@acta.ca. Learn more: Air Passenger Protection Regulations.