Backlog of airline complaints balloons by 6,395 since December travel chaos: Canadian Transportation Agency
Backlog of airline complaints balloons by 6,395 since December travel chaos: Canadian Transportation Agency
The fallout from the December travel chaos continues, as the backlog of complaints made to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) keeps growing.
As of Jan. 31, there have been 6,395 new complaints made to the agency since Dec. 21. Of these complaints, 2,028 are related to Air Canada, 1,951 are related to WestJet and 761 are related to Sunwing, the CTA told CTV National News on Tuesday.
Under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, Canadians are entitled to receive up to $1,000 in compensation for delays and cancellations, depending on the size of the airline and the length of the delay, as long as the delay was within the airlines' control and not related to safety.
Filing a complaint with the CTA is supposed to be a last resort, when Canadian air passengers are denied compensation and unable to resolve their dispute while dealing directly with the airline. But instead of a prompt resolution, passengers are being told to take a number.
In total, the CTA says it's dealing with a backlog of more than 36,000 complaints, with complainants facing wait times of up to 18 months for a decision.
"We have received more complaints than we have been able to process in a given period of time," Tom Oommen, chief compliance and enforcement officer of the CTA, told CTV National News.
Dave Britton is one of the thousands of complainants waiting to hear back on a decision from the CTA. He was denied compensation by WestJet after his family trip was cancelled, but there are more than 33,000 people in line ahead of him.
"If the system works even remotely the way it's supposed to, I think we will get compensated. But if that's going to be two years from now, that money is not going to help us anytime soon," he told CTV National News. "And it's certainly not going to ease any of the pain and suffering and having to battle for something that you're entitled to."
Lawyer Adam Pawlovich, who is also waiting to hear back on a complaint from the CTA after his flight from Mexico was detoured, says he's considering filing a claim at small claims court given how long it's taking the CTA.
"We're not seeing resolution for consumers. If you don't take steps to protect your rights … at some point you're going to be out of time to seek your remedy," he told CTV National News.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has vowed to strengthen passenger protections and rules for airlines after the recent travel woes. On Tuesday, when asked about the thousands of new complaints to the CTA, he said he can "feel their frustration."
Alghabra added: "We are taking action and we're going to do what we can to fix the system."
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Authorities say they believe the 28-year-old female shooter who killed three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday was a former student.
A Canadian Pacific train derailed in rural North Dakota Sunday night and spilled hazardous materials. But local authorities and the railroad said there is no threat to public safety.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing collision at one of the most upscale resorts in North America took the stand Monday, saying he was rammed into from behind and sent 'absolutely flying.' The trial in Utah hinges on who crashed into who.
Toronto MP Han Dong says he is taking legal action over a media report that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of two Canadians detained in China at the time.
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. An interactive map and chart on W5.CTVNews.ca shows where in Canada these asbestos cement pipes are being used.
CTV W5 speaks with members of the comedy industry, including Russell Peters, for a wide-ranging look at how political correctness and 'cancel culture' has changed the world of stand-up comedy.
An Ontario couple has filed a request with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) to appoint a new police force to investigate the death of their 17-year-old son Benjamin, who died during a hockey team-bonding event in September 2019.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in 'What Happened to Ben' on CTV W5.
The RCMP knew about a potential cocaine shipment from the Dominican Republic to Toronto aboard a Canadian charter flight but inexplicably allowed the crew that discovered and reported the drugs to be detained for months without intervening, a W5 investigation has revealed.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
Police have located and laid a number of charges against a young man who was missing for nearly five days after he was last seen leaving his residence following a house fire and subsequent explosion.
Police are looking for the public’s assistance in identifying an 'unknown,' non-verbal woman after she was found Monday by a concerned citizen in the Greater Toronto Area.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is in Ottawa today with a schedule that includes meeting with the mayor, officials from the National Capital Commission and attending the Senators game against the Florida Panthers.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Despite delayed decision-making by parliamentarians, Canada's massive renovation of Parliament Hill's Centre Block is being effectively managed so far, according to a new audit. However, 'rigorous' cost management will be needed as the work proceeds, cautions auditor general Karen Hogan.
First responders arrived to a section of the former River Road Golf Course around 5:30 p.m. Sunday evening where one person had died and a second was suffering from serious injuries. The tragic accident occurred on the former site of River Road Golf Course, which is not maintained, and is prohibited from anyone being on the premises.
Police say they have found the sixth and seventh bodies inside a building in Old Montreal that burned down 11 days ago and do not expect find any more victims. With the death toll now expected to remain at seven, police said they can begin to focus their efforts on finding the cause of the deadly March 16 fire.
Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel is proposing the bonuses paid to nurses — which are set to expire next Thursday — be extended at least through June.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
A pair of mental health experts in Manitoba are warning that women are putting unrealistic expectations on themselves, leading to burnout and emotional fatigue.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
The appreciation and respect shown by the public after two Edmonton Police Service officers were killed in the line of duty has not gone unnoticed, their families said in a statement ahead of the regimental funeral on Monday.
On March 27, a regimental funeral will be held for Edmonton Police Service Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan who were killed in the line of duty on March 16, 2023.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
A stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in Langley, B.C., has been closed due to an incident involving a truck transporting chickens, according to the road maintenance contractor.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Despite delayed decision-making by parliamentarians, Canada's massive renovation of Parliament Hill's Centre Block is being effectively managed so far, according to a new audit. However, 'rigorous' cost management will be needed as the work proceeds, cautions auditor general Karen Hogan.
Toronto MP Han Dong says he is taking legal action over a media report that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of two Canadians detained in China at the time.
Hershey Co. is looking to reduce 'trace' amounts of lead and cadmium in its chocolate, chief financial officer Steve Voskiul told Reuters on Wednesday, after Consumer Reports found that some dark chocolate bars had potentially harmful levels of the heavy metals.
A growing number of Muslim doctors and psychologists are trying to bridge the gap between faith leaders and worshippers with eating disorders, who say they face marginalization when trying to access support within their own communities, as well as in the public health system.
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
The recently rolled-out bot dubbed Bard is the internet search giant's answer to the ChatGPT tool that Microsoft has been melding into its Bing search engine and other software.
Oscar-winning actor and producer Reese Witherspoon and her talent agent husband Jim Toth said on Friday they had made the 'difficult decision to divorce.'
The Fox News producer who accused the right-wing network of pressuring her into giving misleading testimony in the Dominion defamation case has been fired, she disclosed in new court filings.
The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing collision at one of the most upscale resorts in North America took the stand Monday, saying he was rammed into from behind and sent 'absolutely flying.' The trial in Utah hinges on who crashed into who.
North Carolina-based First Citizens will buy Silicon Valley Bank, the tech industry-focused financial institution that collapsed earlier this month, rattling the banking industry and sending shockwaves around the world.
Trains, planes and public transit systems stood still across much of Germany on Monday as labour unions called a major one-day strike over salaries in an effort to win inflation-busting raises for their members.
Strength in the financial and utility sectors helped Canada's main stock index move higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed to start the trading week.
Some 200 protesters gathered beneath Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain to protest the ongoing construction of ziplines aimed at boosting tourism, alleging it will cause unacceptable impacts.
This past week, Parks Canada opened up its reservation system for the 2023 season, offering places to stay, hikes to take and national historic sites to visit across the country. According to three experts, here's where to travel this summer.
Japanese chef Tomoya Kawada has achieved a feat no other restaurateur has before; he's created the world's only three-Michelin-star Chinese restaurant in a non-Chinese-speaking city.
Tereza Vanisova scored 4:23 into overtime, and the Premier Hockey Federation's Isobel Cup is heading to Canada for the first time in its eight-year history following the Toronto Six's 4-3 win over the Minnesota Whitecaps on Sunday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo is feeling at home again. It took only two games for him to make his peace with Portugal's national team and show he is not done impressing at the international level just yet.
About two-thirds of people with disabilities encountered barriers on federally regulated planes and trains in 2019 and 2020, highlighting a lack of consultation and enforcement by agencies involved, the federal auditor general says in a new report.
Germany and the European Union announced Saturday that they have reached an agreement in their dispute over the future of cars with combustion engines, allowing the registration of new vehicles with such engines even after 2035 provided they use climate-neutral fuel only.
A new survey conducted by Research Co. found that the majority of Canadians support tying speeding ticket fines to income, otherwise known as ‘progressive punishment.’
