LOCATION: National
ISSUE/SOURCE: CTA proposes option to fine airline passengers who go public with complaint resolutions [National Post]
DATE: June 2025
SUGGESTED RESPONSES
- The Designated Provisions Regulations (DPRs) are a standard tool which allow regulatory organizations like the CTA to ensure its decisions are respected.
- They do not include new legal requirements.
- They are not the result of the observation of any systemic issue.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- The updates through this designation exercise are not the result of the observation of any systemic issue, and do not signal the CTA’s intent to use these authorities for the purpose of enforcing confidentiality, either with airlines or passengers, or that any penalties will be applied automatically.
- The amended DPRs have not yet been implemented.
- The Act already requires that, for both industry and passengers, decisions issued by the Air Travel Complaint Resolution Office are confidential, unless all involved parties agree to the contrary.
- The Canada Transportation Act (the Act) already requires that some key information of importance to passengers relating to the outcome of air travel complaints be proactively published on the CTA's website, including:
- The number of the flight to which the order relates;
- The date of departure of the flight that is indicated on the complainant’s ticket;
- Whether any flight delay, flight cancellation or denial of boarding was within the carrier’s control, was within the carrier’s control but was required for safety reasons or was outside the carrier’s control; and
- Whether or not the complaint resolution officer ordered the carrier to provide compensation or a refund as set out in the carrier’s tariffs or compensation for expenses incurred.