Canadian airlines could soon face tougher rules for delays and cancellations, a top official in the Justin Trudeau government says. Speaking in the wake of a bad bout of holiday travel chaos that left hundreds of Canadians stranded over Christmas and New Year’s, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the country’s recently-updated air passenger protection rules could be in for more changes that would help consumers. Alghabra told the CBC he’s looking at rules that would put the onus on airlines to deal with complaints, and not force consumers to file complaints with the Canadian Transport Agency (CTA). “Last summer and Read more
flight cancellations
A prominent Liberal in the Justin Trudeau government says he wants to hear from Sunwing and VIA Rail about the travel chaos that many Canadians endured over the holidays. MP Peter Schiefke, the Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil-Soulanges in Quebec and chair of the federal government’s transportation and infrastructure committee, tweeted on Tuesday that both companies need to be held accountable for a disastrous holiday season. Sunwing cancelled flights between Canada and Mexico a couple days before Christmas, leaving hundreds of Canadians stranded during the holidays. Passengers on a VIA Rail train headed from Ottawa to Toronto were forced to Read more
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Canadian airlines are “breaking their word” with the public and that the Trudeau government isn’t doing enough to help Canadian travellers left stranded at airports across the country. Speaking with journalists in Ottawa on Friday, Poilievre laid the blame for the chaos endured by thousands of Canadian passengers over the last week at the foot of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, arguing airports and airlines are federally regulated and therefore a responsibility of the federal government, Global News reports. “This is a federal problem,” Poilievre said. The lead-up to Christmas was a disaster for many Canadian Read more
Battered Southwest Airlines says it expects to operate at something approaching full strength. Following one of the worst performances in U.S. aviation history, with more than 13,000 cancelled flights since December 22, the airline says it expects to operate with “minimal disruptions” on the day before New Year’s Eve. Southwest cancelled 2,362 flights on Thursday (57% of all scheduled departures), according to FlightAware.Com. But the website shows only 41 cancellations (1% of flights) as of 11 a.m. Eastern Time today (Dec. 30, 2022). Thousands of passengers are still trying to find their way home, or to their final destination, following Read more
The U.S. on Wednesday announced new COVID-19 testing requirements for all travelers from China. But Canada has yet to follow suit. Starting January 5, all travelers to the U.S. from China, Macau and Hong Kong will need to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone two years and older, the CBC reports. Other countries made the move before the U.S., but Canada has yet to take similar action. A spokesperson for Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, said Canada is monitoring COVID-19 case numbers Read more
