OTTAWA, April 24, 2023 – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) reacted negatively to the announcement made today by the Minister of Transportation, Omar Alghabra, of proposed changes to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPRs), saying the proposals weaken passengers’ rights by making their claims secret, blocking their access to full justice, and failing to remove airlines’ ability to claim routine safety exceptions to payment of claims, among other shortcomings.

“The Minister did not consult with Canadian consumers or air passenger protection advocates before proposing these ill-advised changes – so we won’t clear them for takeoff,” said John Lawford, Executive Director and General Counsel at PIAC. “Consumers shouldn’t support them either, because they will also give the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) too much discretion to determine new exceptions to passengers’ compensation claims and to change the claims process with administrative ‘guidelines’, and also the CTA may now allow air carriers caught breaking the rules to avoid fines by entering into compliance agreements,” he added.

The changes to the APPRs are found in the Government’s omnibus Budget Implementation Act bill, in Division 23. Such changes are often given little scrutiny in Parliamentary Committees due to the urgency of Budget implementation and the large size of Budget bills.  Therefore PIAC called upon the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) to study the Budget Implementation Act Bill and to recommend major amendments, or, simply the remove the Minister’s proposed APPR changes from the Bill.

“We are disappointed the Government did not see fit to simply pass Bill C-327, ‘An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act (air passenger protection)’, introduced by MP Taylor Bachrach,” added Lawford. “That Bill would change Canada’s air passenger protection law to mirror that in Europe, which is the gold standard.”

For more information please contact:

John Lawford
Executive Director & General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
(613) 562-4002 ×125
jlawford@piac.ca
https://www.piac.ca/

social: @CanadaPIAC

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• provide compensation of up to $1,000 for flight delays or cancellations within an airline’s control that are not safety-related;
• rebook or refund passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled, including, in some cases, using another airline to get passengers to their destination;
• provide food, drink, and access to communication for delays or cancellations within their control, and also provide accommodation for overnight delays; and
• facilitate the seating of children under 14 years in close proximity to an accompanying adult, at no extra charge.

Note that the first phase of APPR came into effect on July 15, 2019 and requires the airlines to:

• communicate to passengers in a simple, clear way information on their rights and recourses and regular updates in the event of flight delays and cancellations;
• provide compensation of up to $2,400 for bumping a passenger for reasons within their control;
• ensure passengers receive standards of treatment during all tarmac delays and allow them to leave the airplane, when it’s safe to do so, if a tarmac delay lasts for over three hours and there’s no prospect of an imminent take-off;
• provide compensation for lost or damaged baggage of up to $2,100 and a refund of any baggage fees; and
• set clear policies for transporting musical instruments.

PIAC was an active participant in the consultation process led by the CTA on these regulations, and continues to support and fight for air passenger rights. We strongly encourage you all to know your rights and be aware of the redress mechanisms available.
 
Useful Links from the CTA:

• Air Passenger protection, Know your rights
• APPR implementation guides
• Air Passenger Protection Regulations Highlights
• Air Passenger Protection Regulations: SOR/2019-150

 
For more information please contact:
John Lawford
Executive Director and General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
Tel: 613-562-4002 ext. 25
jlawford@piac.ca
 
 
 

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• Denied boarding (including in case of overbooking), delays and cancellations;
• Lost or damaged baggage;
• Tarmac delays over a certain period of time;
• Seating children near a parent or guardian at no extra charge; and
• Ensuring carriers develop clear standards for transporting musical instruments.

“PIAC is cautiously hopeful that the Canadian Transportation Agency will be able to respond to the expected volume of complaints that will be generated by the new consumer rights.  However, if the CTA is given this work without a major re-organization of the agency and greater resources, there could be turbulence,” Lawford noted.
“At the moment, the bar of expectation for consumers dealing with airlines rests firmly on the ground,” notes Jonathan Bishop, PIAC’s Research Analyst. “This element of Bill C-49 is a golden opportunity for the Canadian Transportation Agency to address the needs of air passengers in an effective manner, added Bishop. “Handled correctly, Canadians could benefit from a world-leading air passenger complaint regime.” concluded Bishop.
In 2015, PIAC was asked by the Transportation Act Review Secretariat to provide an analysis of air carrier rules from the consumer perspective. PIAC released its report entitled, Consumer Protection for Airline Passengers, in August of 2015. In the report, PIAC looked at consumer protections from around the world and recommended two elements: An Airline Code and an ombudsman for airline complaints. PIAC believes that these two methods together would ensure consumers knew their rights and, if an issue were to fall outside of listed rights, an ombudsman could deal with those complaints.
For more information please contact:
John Lawford
Executive Director & General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
T: (613) 562-4002 ×25
C: (613) 447-8125
lawford@piac.ca
Jonathan Bishop
Research and Parliamentary Analyst
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
T: (613) 562-4002 ×23
jbishop@piac.ca
 

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• Travel Protection Initiative slams airline advertising decision
• No consumer protection from misleading airline ads in C-11: PIAC
• New National “Travellers’ Protection Initiative” Demands Government Protection for Airline Passengers
• Common Sense Protection in Light of Jetsgo Collapse
• Make airlines advertise the real price
• PIAC and Option consommateurs call for end to misleading airline advertising
• Text of Press Conference
• Consumer Groups Respond to Air Merger
• Turbulence ahead for Canadian air travel
• The airline ticket pricing game
• Permanent holding pattern for Canadian air travellers

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Text of the Letter:

June 20, 2008
Mr. Merv Tweed, M.P.
Chair
Standing Committee on Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Dear Mr. Tweed:
Re: Bill C-11, Secs. 27 and 64, Correspondence of Minister Cannon
We are writing to respond to the correspondence recently directed to you, as Chair of the Standing Committee on Transport, concerning the progress in enabling sec. 27 of Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act and the Railway Safety Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts to come into force. This provision would mandate the issuance of regulations to provide all-in airfare pricing for the benefit of consumers. As Minister Cannon points out in his correspondence, the onus is on him and his department to set the date upon which the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) will regulate airfares. Minister Cannon has concluded that a national consensus is necessary before imposing advertising rules, although the names of the stakeholders who must consent seems to be obscure.
In our view, it is necessary to provide some additional background and clarification to the submissions of Minister Cannon, and to draw to the Committee’s attention the plain consequences of the current position of the Minister. As representatives of the Travel Protection Initiative, a coalition of consumer and industry groups with concerned with air travel in Canada, we are disappointed, but not surprised with the Minister’s response that appears to have derived from his department’s previous and longstanding position on this issue.
First of all, as Minister Cannon notes, Transport Canada officials were opposed to the amendment of Bill C-11 to require the making of regulations regarding airline advertising by CTA. In fact, one of the reasons that the language of the section was changed from permissive to mandatory was the opposition of department officials to the issuance of regulations following passage of legislation with permissive language. The Committee and the House, at first instance, decided that such “sober second thought” was unnecessary and non-productive in this instance. After the Senate amendment was made and approved, it also appears clear that the members approving the amendment were not supporting some process by which the airline industry could veto regulation by their simple failure to agree to its issuance.
As his letter makes clear, the Minister’s course of action, taken since the passage of the legislation, has been directed solely to consulting with the industry stakeholders previously opposed to regulating airline advertising. The unsurprising news that they are still against such a measure is hardly grounds for lethargy in its promulgation.
As the members of your Committee may recall, the issue of airlines advertising misleading fares has been the subject of much discussion before the Consumer Measures Committee, (CMC) the federal-provincial-territorial forum for national co-operation on marketplace issues. The CMC issued a consultation paper in 2004, setting out the ramifications of the issue for consumers. It detailed the regulatory response in Ontario and Quebec with respect to travel agency advertising as well as the airline advertising restrictions by U.S. Department of Transport that have been in place since 1992. The document also noted that provincial capacity to discipline misleading travel advertising appeared to be possessed by the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba.
We are not aware of any province that advanced the position that there should not be federal efforts to compel airlines to advertise in a manner that discloses the true price of air travel to customers. We are not aware of any province that refused to cooperate in any effort to ensure a unified front to ensure that travel advertising is presented in a transparent manner to consumers that would enable informed competition between airlines. We are, however, aware that Transport Canada opposed such measures, as they do now, notwithstanding that they have the support of some 93% of Canadian respondents to a 2004 survey taken by the Environics Research Group for Options consommateurs, a well-known Quebec based consumer organization. No progress was made at that time by CMC in arriving at a solution.
Indeed, the vehemence of Transport Canada’s opposition is an outlier in every respect. In testifying before this Standing Committee on this issue on October 5, 2006, Mr. Fred Gaspar, executive director of the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC) said in relation to the advertising regulation:
“Is it a total showstopper for us? Is it a horrible, horrible thing if it happens? No. We’ll deal with it. We’ll learn to deal with it. Ultimately, it’s giving consumers what they want that’s most important. We just don’t think it makes a lot of sense in the broader perspective of giving consumers what they actually want, which is access to lower costs and to the right mix of service and price.”
The Minister’s fear of contrary practices in markets outside Canada is somewhat puzzling given the current state of foreign markets. In the United States, existing U.S. Department of Transportation all-in rules apply to all airline advertising in that jurisdiction. The European Union has also been moving to prevent irresponsible and misleading advertising exhibited by airlines. In November 2007, under the Unfair Consumer Practices Directive, 200 airlines were ordered by the EU Consumer Protection Commissioner to take down internet advertising that was misleading consumers by failing to clearly advertise the full prices and conditions of their flight offers. New airline advertising rules go into effect in Europe in the autumn of this year that will make it necessary to advertise full-flight prices with relevant sanctions for failure to do so.
In the United Kingdom, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has used the provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002 to compel compliance of airlines with all-in pricing practices. The Association of British Travel Agents, whose members are responsible for about 90% of sales of foreign packaged holidays, have incorporated such advertising restrictions into their Code of Conduct and intend to take firm action against miscreants.
In Canada, travel agencies are also moving to comply with all-in advertising rules with or without provincial sanction. The CAA agency in British Columbia has adopted this practice as standard operating procedure and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies has urged it as a best practice.
Price component complexity is also raised by the Minister as a barrier to effective regulation. As Minister Cannon notes, there are numerous charges that are associated with the final cost of an airline ticket, and it is somewhat difficult to calculate the same. This is, however, a task that travel agencies in Ontario and Quebec have been able to do for several years now without incurring financial ruination or widespread complaints of inaccuracy from customers. We are certain the airlines could muster the same degree of proficiency exhibited by these travel agencies with a little effort.
As well, the patterns of airline ticket purchasing do not lead to the conclusion that the airlines would be unfairly disadvantaged by the imposition of reasonable standards in the form of all-in pricing. First, most travel agency websites do not advertise scheduled airline fares, and adoption of similar practices of all-in advertising could easily be adopted pursuant to any agreements between the airlines and those travel agencies selling their products, that are unregulated by advertising restriction.
Secondly, we fail to see how travel agencies operating in provinces without effective means of travel advertising regulation will be able to muscle the airlines out of their Internet ticketing operations. As well, we do not understand why all carriers licensed by the CTA, would not be bound to follow the CTA regulations for advertising, as a condition of carriage.
Finally, the search for consensus that has been commenced by the Minister serves to obscure the real consequences of the Department’s failure to act. First of all, passengers of the approximately 80 million flights per year in Canada will continue to be subject to a disgraceful shell game of airlines advertising one price, and then selling a ticket for an amount which may be many times greater than the advertised price. Secondly, the practice carried on by airlines is strongly opposed by the overwhelming majority of Canadians who want it changed. Thirdly, the government has taken sides with the airlines against close to 15,000 travel agents working at over 3500 outlets in Ontario and Quebec, many of them small family businesses. The government is content to allow any cost of misrepresentation by airline advertising to fall on them. Fourthly, it is inexcusable that a government would adopt a policy that allows misleading and deceptive marketplace conduct to continue in order to allow certain preferred constituents to thrive.
It is hard not to come to the conclusion that the coming into force of sec. 27 is only seriously opposed by a small cadre of bureaucrats who have chosen the route of indifference to Canadian airline customers, and the travel agents that serve them rather than adopting a policy that is in line with any realistic appraisal of the correct limits for advertising airfares.
We would request that the Committee urge further action by the Minister in the form of bringing into effect section 27 of Bill C-11.
Yours truly,
The Travellers’ Protection Initiative / La Coalition pour la protection des voyageurs
Michael Pepper, President and CEO Travel Industry Council of Ontario
Michael Janigan, Executive Director and General Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
Christiane Théberge, President and CEO Association of Canadian Travel Agencies
Stephanie Poulin Director of Legal Department Option consommateurs

APPENDIX A

Travellers’ Protection Initiative
Membership
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) is a not-for-profit corporation wholly-financed by Ontario-registered travel agents and wholesalers. It administers the Ontario Travel Industry Act and the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund. The Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund is wholly-financed by the industry to protect consumers who do not receive the travel services for which they paid due to the insolvency or bankruptcy of an Ontario-registered travel agent or travel wholesaler, or due to the cessation of an end supplier airline or cruise line. The Fund only covers consumers who have booked through an Ontario-registered travel agent. TICO may be contacted at (905) 624-6241 or 1-888-451-TICO
or www.tico.on.ca,email tico@tico.on.ca
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is a national non-profit organization working to advance the interests of individuals and groups who are generally unrepresented, or under-represented, in issues of major public concern. PIAC focuses primarily on consumer issues concerning telecommunications, travel, energy, privacy, the information highway, electronic commerce, financial services, broadcasting, and competition law. PIAC undertakes legal and research services on behalf of consumers and seeks to ensure that the public interest is served, and not neglected, by decision-makers in government and the private sector, when decisions are made about consumer issues. PIAC may be contacted at (613) 562-4002 or www.piac.ca , email piac@piac.ca
Option consommateurs is dedicated to defending and promoting the interests of consumers, primarily those with low incomes. To that end, it is active in various industry sectors through its credit counselling, legal, press, research and advocacy divisions. The association team is made up of about twenty individuals working in a variety of professions such as law, finance, journalism, and research. Option consommateurs directly reaches up to 10,000 consumers annually, and conducts more than 400 media interviews. In addition to sitting on numerous task forces and taking part in various consultations, the association team publishes research reports, memoranda, practical guides and news articles. Option consommateurs may be contacted at (514) 598-7288, 1-888-412-1313 or www.option-consommateurs.org
The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) is a national trade
association representing the retail travel sector of Canada’s tourism industry which handle 30 G$ of sales per year. ACTA is an industry-led, non profit, membership-based organization. Its members include retail travel agencies and suppliers such as tour operators, travel wholesalers, airlines, hotels, destination marketing organizations, cruise and rail lines, and automobile rental companies. ACTA represents the interests of Canadian travellers through approximately 2,600 members employing 18,000 travel professionals. ACTA may be contacted at: (613) 237-3657 or www.acta.ca
The Canadian Association of Airline Passengers (CAAP) is a coalition of consumer organizations formed in 1999 to respond to the pending restructuring of the Canadian airline industry, and to advocate policy and regulatory requirements which are fundamental to protect passengers’ rights. PIAC and Option consommateurs are both founding members of CAAP.
 

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Group says Bill C-44 must be strengthened
TORONTO, June 2, 2005—A new Canada-wide alliance was announced today bringing together like-minded consumer protection and business groups to demand greater federal government protection for Canadian airline passengers. The initiative comes in the wake of the recent failure of discount airline Jetsgo that left thousands of passengers stranded without refunds or other compensation, and as Bill C-44, proposed by the government in April, is headed toward 2nd Reading. The Bill, proposing minor amendments to the Canada Transportation Act, does not go nearly far enough to provide real protection for consumers, according to the group.
The Travellers’ Protection Initiative is comprised of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), and Quebec-based Option consommateurs. They are joined by members of the Canadian Association of Airline Passengers (CAAP), including the Consumers Association of Canada (Saskatchewan), Transport 2000, Canadian Federation of Students, Consumers Council of Canada, Air Passenger Safety Group, Manitoba Society of Seniors, Ontario Society of Senior Citizens Organizations, and Rural Dignity of Canada.
The Travellers’ Protection Initiative represents a broad range of consumer and industry groups from across the country, each of which has been individually campaigning for change at the federal level. Speaking with one voice, the group’s objective is to push the government to strengthen the inadequate passenger protections contained in Bill C-44.
“As we gear up for a busy season of summer vacation travel, the painful memory lingers of the Canadian passengers who were left high and dry when Jetsgo stopped flying at the height of March break travel,” said Michael Janigan, Executive Director of PIAC. “As Bill C-44 stands now, there’s nothing to prevent travellers from being victimized again should another airline fail. If this Bill passes as is, Canadians will be as vulnerable in the future as they were when Jetsgo collapsed.”
The government’s proposed amendments to the Canada Transportation Act as itemized in Bill C-44, confirm the elimination of the Airline Complaints Commissioner’s position and call for the airlines to develop their own rules for full price disclosure in advertising. There is no mention of consumer protection for advance ticket sales or financial monitoring safeguards for airlines. The group feels that these amendments don’t go nearly far enough and want the government to re-write the Bill to implement the appropriate measures that will protect Canadians.
“Just when it becomes obvious to everyone that we need much greater consumer protection measures, the government proposes measures that move us further in the opposite direction,” said Mr. Janigan. “They’re eliminating the Airline Complaints Commissioner’s position and their proposal in Bill C-44 gives the airlines the luxury of policing themselves in areas like full price disclosure in airline advertising and best financial management practices. Time and again, we’ve seen that the airlines are simply not responsive. How many times do we suffer a Jetsgo before the government understands its role?”
The group has six key areas of concern:

• Greater financial monitoring and disclosure to the public;
• Protection for advance ticket purchases;
• Full price disclosure in advertising across the board;
• Reinstatement and strengthening of the position of Airline Complaints Commissioner;
• A federal compensation fund for when airlines fail;
• A program within Transport Canada to collect and publish information on airline service performance in order to better inform consumers about their choices and promote fair competition among airlines.

“We can’t stress enough, the importance of creating an atmosphere of rigorous scrutiny, openness and fairness in this industry, with a view always, to the public good,” said Jannick Desforges of Option consommateurs. “We call on Minister Lapierre and Members of Parliament to hear us out on these issues and respond in good faith. The government should not be putting airlines first – it should be putting passengers first.”
“In what other industry does the customer finance the company without any knowledge of the company’s financial health?” asked TICO CEO, Michael Pepper. “That’s precisely what happens with unsecured advance ticket sales. We understand that the government is not in the airline business, but it is in the business of protecting Canadian citizens, and in this area it is failing all of us. It has the obligation to demand that airlines have the financial wherewithal to serve passengers. That’s a very basic requirement.”
According to Marc-André Charlebois, President and CEO of ACTA, “The government has been reluctant to get involved in this area and appears to be operating with the best interests of the airlines, not those of consumers, in mind. This is unacceptable and we know Canadians will not sit quietly while new airlines go into business, completely immune from appropriate consumer safeguards, when there are simple solutions that will have far-reaching impact.”
The Travellers’ Protection Initiative wants its 6-point plan to be enshrined in legislation and plans to take its case to MPs and the Minister of Transport before the Bill goes further.
– 30 –
For more information, please contact:
Catherine Davey
catherinedavey@mailbotz.com
416-599-6262

Membership

The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) is a not-for-profit corporation wholly-financed by Ontario-registered travel agents and wholesalers. It administers the Travel Industry Act and the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund. The Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund is wholly-financed by the industry to protect consumers who do not receive the travel services for which they paid due to the insolvency or bankruptcy of an Ontario-registered travel agent or travel wholesaler, or due to the cessation of an end supplier airline or cruise line. The Fund only covers consumers who have booked through an Ontario-registered travel agent. TICO may be contacted at (905) 624-6241 or 1-888-451-TICO orwww.tico.on.ca , email tico@tico.on.ca
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is a national non-profit organization working to advance the interests of individuals and groups who are generally unrepresented, or under-represented, in issues of major public concern. PIAC focuses primarily on consumer issues concerning telecommunications, travel, energy, privacy, the information highway, electronic commerce, financial services, broadcasting, and competition law. PIAC undertakes legal and research services on behalf of consumers and seeks to ensure that the public interest is served, and not neglected, by decision- makers in government and the private sector, when decisions are made about consumer issues. PIAC may be contacted at (613) 562-4002 or www.piac.ca , email piac@piac.ca
Option consommateurs is dedicated to defending and promoting the interests of consumers, primarily those with low incomes. To that end, it is active in various industry sectors through its credit counselling, legal, press, and research and advocacy divisions. The association team is made up of about twenty individuals working in a variety of professions such as law, finance, journalism, and research. Option consommateurs directly reaches up to 10,000 consumers annually, and conducts more than 400 media interviews. In addition to sitting on numerous task forces and taking part in various consultations, the association team publishes research reports, memoranda, practical guides and news articles. Option consommateurs may be contacted at (514) 598-7288, 1-888-412-1313 www.option-consommateurs.org
The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) is a national trade association representing the retail travel sector of Canada’s tourism industry. ACTA is an industry-led, non profit, membership-based organization. Its members include retail travel agencies and suppliers such as tour operators, travel wholesalers, airlines, hotels, destination marketing organizations, cruise and rail lines, and automobile rental companies. ACTA represents the interests of Canadian travellers through approximately 3,000 members employing 14,000 travel professionals. ACTA may be contacted at: (613) 237-3657 or www.acta.ca
The Canadian Association of Airline Passengers (CAAP) is a coalition of consumer organizations formed in 1999 to respond to the pending restructuring of the Canadian airline industry, and to advocate policy and regulatory requirements which are fundamental to protect passengers’ rights. PIAC and Option Consommateurs are both founding members of CAAP. Other members of CAAP who have lent their voice to the Travellers’ Protection Initiative include:
Air Passenger Safety Group 1-416-534-4008 Jim Goss: pres@jgoss.com
Consumers Association of Canada Saskatchewan 1-306-242-4909 Annemarie Buchmann-Gerber: office.cacsk@sasktel.net
Canadian Federation of Students 1-613-232-7394
Consumers Council of Canada
The Consumers Council of Canada is an independent non-profit consumer organization whose vision is an efficient, equitable and effective marketplace for consumers. The Council works collaboratively with consumers, business and government in support of consumers’ rights and responsibilities to provide a consumer perspective and to find solutions to marketplace problems. Through consumer representation, research, education and service the Council addresses issues that affect and influence the daily lives of consumers. The Council is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and has an Advisory Committee to provide marketplace perspective and is funded through its project work, its memberships and donations. The Council operates the Public Interest Network (PIN) a volunteer network of community-involved thought leaders who respond to issues and inform the Council. The Consumers Council of Canada Foundation, a registered charity, supports the research and education efforts of the Council. Contact the Council at 416-961-3487,www.consumerscouncil.com or mail@consumerscouncil.com
Canadian Federation of Students 1-613-232-7394 Angela Regnier: dchair@cfs-fcee.ca
Manitoba Society of Seniors 1-204-985-8540 Byron Williams: bywil@legalaid.mb.ca
Ontario Society of Senior Citizens’ Organizations 1-416-785-8570 Morris Jesion: ocsco@web.net
Rural Dignity of Canada 1-418-645-2715 Cynthia Patterson: ruraldignity@globetrotter.qc.ca
Transport 2000 Canada 1-819-827-0157 Harry Gow: hwgow@uottawa.ca

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According to Michael Janigan, the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, the demise of Jetsgo highlights the gaps in consumer protection that exist in the Canadian airline industry.
“If the failure of an airline is to be treated by the government in the same way as the failure of a corner grocery store, pretty soon consumers will be fleeing airline travel in bigger numbers”, said Janigan. He noted the incomplete protection that is provided for out-of-pocket passengers through credit card charge backs and compensation funds for travel agency purchases made in three provinces only, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.
“Every airline, licensed in Canada, should be made to participate in a Compensation Fund and abide by the same rules associated with travel advertising and practices that are in place for travel agencies in Ontario and Quebec,” Janigan noted. “If the federal government intends consumers to be protected by competition, it has to ensure that all competitors are part of a system that will not leave passengers in the lurch”.
Janigan urged Jetsgo’s jilted passengers, who paid for their tickets with a credit card, to immediately contact the credit card company to ascertain whether a charge back is possible. Passengers booking through travel agencies in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec were urged to contact the provincial government regulatory agency responsible for compensation.
For Further Information Contact:
Michael Janigan
Executive Director/General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
1204-ONE Nicholas Street
Ottawa, ON
K1N 7B7
613-562-4002 ext. 26
mjanigan@piac.ca

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