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CAA launches new guide for air passengers

By Regis Phillips Feb 27, 2024 | 2:46 PM

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) says you can now breathe a sigh of relief when travelling by plane.

CAA launched the Air Passenger Help Guide on Tuesday to better help navigate and understand the rules when flight disruptions occur.

Canada has had federal rules governing air passenger rights since 2019, but CAA officials say they are complicated and long.

Julie Kent said their plain-language guide answers questions about the most common flight disruptions.

“The big thing to note is that changes are coming to the air passenger protection regulations in 2024,” said Kent, director of social responsibility and advocacy for CAA Atlantic.

“We expect the government to announce those quite soon and we’re gonna be listening if the rules are simpler and easy to use, and that’s what we’ve been advocating all along.”

Some disruptions CAA listed include flight delays, cancellations, lost luggage and getting bumped from a flight due to overbooking.

A survey conducted by the agency in October found 61 per cent of Canadians say they or someone they know has experienced a flight disruption in the last two years.

CAA has also been pushing Ottawa to live up to its commitment to publish statistics on airline performance on topics such as on-time or baggage loss.

It said 80 per cent of Canadians want more transparency through the publishing of statistics by the federal government and airlines.

“Travelling can be stressful, and the rules protecting air travellers are complicated. CAA is stepping up by providing Canadians with the information they need when things go wrong,” said Ian Jack, vice president of public affairs for CAA National.