Air passengers who are bumped from overbooked flights or forced to sit through long delays could receive up to $2400 in compensation under proposed regulations for the government's long-promised passenger bill of rights. Transport Minister Marc Garneau says airlines will also have to give passengers clear reasons for delays — particularly if they are stuck in a plane on a tarmac.
"When a delay or cancellation occurs or extra time is spent on the tarmac that regular communication occurs with the passengers, so they have an idea what is going on," said Garneau. "That's a critical part of it."
The proposed compensation will use a sliding scale, with larger airlines and longer delays requiring bigger compensation payments. Payments to passengers whose flights are delayed will max out at $1000, and cancellations at $2400. The regulations would also force airlines to automatically seat children under age 14 next to their parents rather than require them to pay an additional fee to select their own seats.
The Canadian Transportation Agency released the draft regulations for public comment, with an aim to having the rules take effect by next summer.