The fallout from the December travel chaos continues, because the backlog of complaints made to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) retains rising.
As of Jan. 31, there have been 6,395 new complaints made to the company since Dec. 21. Of these complaints, 2,028 are associated to Air Canada, 1,951 are associated to WestJet and 761 are associated to Sunwing, the CTA advised 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, relying on the scale of the airline and the size of the delay, so long as the delay was throughout the airways’ management and never associated to security.
Filing a complaint with the CTA is meant to be a final resort, when Canadian air passengers are denied compensation and unable to resolve their dispute whereas dealing instantly with the airline. But as a substitute of a immediate decision, passengers are being advised to take a quantity.
In whole, the CTA says it is coping with a backlog of greater than 36,000 complaints, with complainants going through wait occasions of as much as 18 months for a call.
“We have obtained extra complaints than now we have been in a position to course of in a given time frame,” Tom Oommen, chief compliance and enforcement officer of the CTA, advised CTV National News.
Dave Britton is among the hundreds of complainants ready to listen to again on a call from the CTA. He was denied compensation by WestJet after his household journey was cancelled, however there are greater than 33,000 individuals in line forward of him.
“If the system works even remotely the best way it is alleged to, I believe we’ll get compensated. But if that is going to be two years from now, that cash isn’t going to assist us anytime quickly,” he advised CTV National News. “And it is definitely not going to ease any of the ache and struggling and having to battle for one thing that you just’re entitled to.”
Lawyer Adam Pawlovich, who can be ready to listen to again on a criticism from the CTA after his flight from Mexico was detoured, says he is contemplating submitting a declare at small claims courtroom given how lengthy it is taking the CTA.
“We’re not seeing decision for customers. If you do not take steps to guard your rights … in some unspecified time in the future you are going to be out of time to hunt your treatment,” he advised CTV National News.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has vowed to strengthen passenger protections and guidelines for airways after the current travel woes. On Tuesday, when requested in regards to the hundreds of new complaints to the CTA, he mentioned he can “really feel their frustration.”
Alghabra added: “We are taking motion and we’ll do what we will to repair the system.”
