New bill of rights for airline passengers announced

People travelling to, and from and within Canada who are denied boarding could be eligible for some payback thanks to the Canada Transportation agency’s new rules that take effect on July 15th.

The second set of rules start on December 15th and involve compensation up to $1,000 for delayed or cancelled flights.

The key phrase to look out for in the new rules is “within an airline’s control.” So if an issue is caused by bad weather, emergency maintenance, airport operational problems or medical emergencies, airlines do not have to pay compensation.

Failure to follow the rules could cost airlines $25,000 in fines. Canada’s Minister of Transport Marc Garneau also announced that airlines could pay passengers up to $2,100 for damaged or lost luggage.

Phil Perkins interviewed MP Filomena Tassi about the new rules.