If you had to suffer through last year’s summer and holiday season travel chaos, you (along with 40,000 other Canadians) might be owed some compensation—but don’t hold your breath waiting to get it.
What’s new: The federal government is way behind on processing applications for travel compensation and announced a three-year, $75.9 million investment to help the Canadian Transportation Agency work through the backlog.
- There’s a backlog of over 42,000 complaints for the CTA to get through, but the agency is severely understaffed, with only six enforcement officers. The new cash will go towards hiring 200 more people to speed things up.
- Transport Minister Omar Alghabra also said he would end compensation “safety” loopholes that void customer compensation claims.
Why it’s happening: Canadians found themselves re-enacting the plot from “The Terminal” during peak travel times last year, as airlines struggled to operate smoothly, leaving many delayed or stranded passengers looking to be reimbursed for missed vacation days or unplanned hotel stays.
- But critics say the backlog is also due to gaps in the air passenger rights charter and inaction on the CTA’s part.
Why it matters: It seems unfair that airlines can take your money, not fly you anywhere (or get you there late) and then have months or years before they have to provide compensation. The hope is with increased hands at the CTA, complaints will be resolved in a timelier manner.
If you’ve had travel issues lately, here’s how to file a complaint with the CTA:
- First, familiarize yourself with filing deadlines. You have one year to file a complaint about a delayed or cancelled flight, and lost or delayed baggage has its own timeline.
- Then you have to contact the airline in writing and give them 30 days to respond to the complaint.
- If you haven’t heard from the airline after 30 days, you can take it to the next level and file through the CTA’s Air Passenger Protection site.