CTA issues temporary exemptions to certain Air Passenger Protection Regulations provisions

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) today took steps to address the major impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the airline industry.

The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) set air carriers’ obligations to passengers that vary depending on whether the situation is ‘within the air carrier’s control’, ‘within the air carrier’s control but required for safety’, or ‘outside the air carrier’s control’.

APPR also provide a list of situations considered ‘outside the air carrier’s control’, including medical emergencies and orders or instructions from state officials. The CTA has identified a number of situations related to this pandemic that are considered ‘outside of the air carrier’s control’. These include flight disruptions to locations that are covered by a government advisory against travel or unnecessary travel due to COVID-19.

In these situations, air carriers would not be required to provide standards of treatment or compensation for inconvenience. However, they would have to make sure the passenger completes their itinerary.

Until April 30^th, the time at which passengers will be entitled to compensation for inconvenience related to flight cancellations or delays will be adjusted, to provide air carriers with more flexibility to modify schedules and combine flights. Air carriers will be allowed to make schedule changes without owing compensation to passengers until 72 hours before a scheduled departure time (instead of 14 days), and air carriers will be obligated to compensate passengers for delays on arrival that are fully within the air carrier’s control once those delays are 6 hours or more in length (instead of 3 hours).

The CTA has also exempted air carriers from offering alternative travel arrangements that include flights on other air carrier’s with which they have no commercial agreement.

These measures recognize the extraordinary nature of the current situation. After April 30^th, the CTA will decide whether these temporary measures should be extended for an additional period of time.