Air Canada cited “crew constraints” and rebooked him on a plane departing 48 hours after the June 17 flight’s original departure time. Farrell was even more surprised six weeks later to learn that his claim for compensation had been rejected due to staff shortages. “Since your Air Canada flight was delayed/cancelled due to crew restrictions resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations, the compensation you are requesting is not applicable because the delay/cancellation was caused by a safety-related issue ,” the email from customer relations dated July 29 states. The rejection “feels like a slap in the face,” Farrell said. “If they don’t have a replacement crew, then the flight [was] was canceled because they failed to assemble a crew, not because any other factor would have made it inherently unsafe to operate the flight,” he said in an email. “I think the airlines are trying to exploit a general emotional connection that people make between ‘COVID-19’ and ‘safety’, when in reality, if you test their logic, it doesn’t hold up.” WATCHES | Airlines avoid compensating passengers:
Frustration as airlines deny compensation for travel interruptions
Passengers are frustrated as airlines blame travel disruptions on factors beyond their control, denying compensation in the process.
It’s not a unique problem
Air Canada’s response to Farrell’s complaint was not extreme. In a Dec. 29 memo, the company directed officials to classify flight cancellations caused by staff shortages as a “safety” problem, which would bar travelers from compensation under federal regulations. This policy remains in effect. Canada’s passenger charter of rights, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), requires airlines to pay compensation of up to $1,000 for cancellations or significant delays resulting from reasons within the carrier’s control when notice is given 14 days or less before departure. However, airlines do not have to pay if the change was necessary for safety reasons. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), a quasi-judicial federal authority, says treating staffing shortages as a safety issue violates federal rules. “If a crew shortage is due to actions or inactions of the air carrier, the disruption will be considered under the control of the air carrier for the purposes of the APPR. Therefore, a disruption caused by a crew shortage should not be considered ‘required for safety reasons’ when the carrier is the one who caused the security issue as a result of his own actions,” the agency said in an email. That stance reinforces a decision made July 8 — three weeks before Farrell learned he was denied compensation — when the CTA used nearly identical language in a dispute over a flight on a different carrier. The regulatory commission’s decision in that case emphasized airlines’ obligations regarding advance planning “to ensure that the carrier has sufficient personnel available to operate the services it offers for sale.” WATCHES | Questionable price for Canada’s largest airport:
Toronto’s Pearson was ranked the world’s worst airport for delays
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport was ranked as the world’s worst airport for flight delays. Amid travel chaos, travelers continue to share complaints on social media, while tourism groups fear the publicity could affect travel to Canada.
Air Canada is taking advantage of politics, advocate says
In the December memo, issued at the height of the Omicron wave of COVID-19, Air Canada said: “Effective immediately, flight cancellations due to crew are considered within air carrier control — For safety.” “Customers affected by these flight cancellations will still be eligible for standard treatments such as hotel accommodation, meals etc, but will no longer be eligible for APPR/cash compensation claims.” The staff directive said the stoppage would be “temporary”. However, Air Canada acknowledged in a July 25 email that the policy “remains in effect given the ongoing exceptional circumstances caused by the variations of COVID.” Gabor Lukacs, president of the air passenger rights advocacy group, said Air Canada is “illegally” exploiting the passenger charter of rights to avoid paying compensation and called on the transportation regulator for tougher enforcement. “They’re misclassifying things that are clearly not a safety issue,” he said of Canada’s largest airline, calling the policy “amazing.” Consumers can challenge an airline’s claim denial by filing a complaint with the CTA. However, the agency’s backlog exceeded 15,300 air travel complaints since May.
Air Canada tries to prevent compensation claims: lawyer
Lukacs also noted that European Union regulations do not exclude safety reasons from situations requiring compensation in the event of cancellation or delays. Payments are only excluded as a result of “extraordinary circumstances”, such as weather or political instability. “This document, along with previous statements and behavior since the beginning of the pandemic, shows that Air Canada’s priority is clearly trying to contain the cost of flight cancellations rather than providing good service to its customers,” said Sylvie De Bellefeuille. a lawyer for the Quebec-based advocacy group Option consommateurs, said after reviewing a copy of the directive. He said Air Canada aims to prevent passengers from seeking compensation in the first place. “This tactic does not, in our opinion, demonstrate that the company cares about its customers.” Air Canada disputes this characterization. “Air Canada had and continues to have more employees depending on its flight schedule compared to before the pandemic,” the company said in an emailed statement, saying it had done everything it could to prepare for operational problems. . “Air Canada follows all public health guidelines as part of its safety culture and during the Omicron wave last winter which affected some crew availability, we revised our policy to better assist customers in their journeys with improved levels customer service for flight cancellations related to crew battling COVID.” John Gradek, head of McGill University’s aviation management program, said the transportation agency is partly to blame for the “collapse” because it established looser rules than those in Europe and the United States. “Carriers have made vigorous efforts to point the finger and claim that the delays are out of their control to minimize responsibility,” he said in an email. LISTEN | No relief for frustrated travelers: The Current28:53 Travelers continue to battle airport wait times and cancellations, but experts say there won’t be any relief anytime soon Travelers continue to battle long wait times, flight delays and cancellations as they try to travel by plane this summer. These challenges prompted Air Canada to cancel flights throughout the summer. For Jenn MacDougall, that meant sleeping on the airport floor. Now he tells guest presenter Rosemary Barton that he is calling for action. Travel expert Scott Keyes discusses how people can better prepare. and Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council, says global travel probably won’t improve anytime soon.
title: “Air Canada Denies Some Compensation Claims Calls Staff Shortages Safety Related Issue " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-24” author: “Cruz Hufford”
Air Canada cited “crew constraints” and rebooked him on a plane departing 48 hours after the June 17 flight’s original departure time. Farrell was even more surprised six weeks later to learn that his claim for compensation had been rejected due to staff shortages. “Since your Air Canada flight was delayed/cancelled due to crew restrictions resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations, the compensation you are requesting is not applicable because the delay/cancellation was caused by a safety-related issue ,” the email from customer relations dated July 29 states.
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The rejection “feels like a slap in the face,” Farrell said. “If they don’t have a replacement crew, then the flight [was] was canceled because they failed to assemble a crew, not because any other factor would have made it inherently unsafe to operate the flight,” he said in an email. “I think the airlines are trying to exploit a general emotional connection that people make between ‘COVID-19’ and ‘safety’, when in reality, if you test their logic, it doesn’t hold up.” WATCHES | Airlines avoid compensating passengers:
Frustration as airlines deny compensation for travel interruptions
Passengers are frustrated as airlines blame travel disruptions on factors beyond their control, denying compensation in the process.
It’s not a unique problem
Air Canada’s response to Farrell’s complaint was not extreme. In a Dec. 29 memo, the company directed officials to classify flight cancellations caused by staff shortages as a “safety” problem, which would bar travelers from compensation under federal regulations. This policy remains in effect. Canada’s passenger charter of rights, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), requires airlines to pay compensation of up to $1,000 for cancellations or significant delays resulting from reasons within the carrier’s control when notice is given 14 days or less before departure. However, airlines do not have to pay if the change was necessary for safety reasons. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), a quasi-judicial federal authority, says treating staffing shortages as a safety issue violates federal rules. “If a crew shortage is due to actions or inactions of the air carrier, the disruption will be considered under the control of the air carrier for the purposes of the APPR. Therefore, a disruption caused by a crew shortage should not be considered ‘required for safety reasons’ when the carrier is the one who caused the security issue as a result of his own actions,” the agency said in an email. That stance reinforces a decision made July 8 — three weeks before Farrell learned he was denied compensation — when the CTA used nearly identical language in a dispute over a flight on a different carrier. The regulatory commission’s decision in that case emphasized airlines’ obligations regarding advance planning “to ensure that the carrier has sufficient personnel available to operate the services it offers for sale.” WATCHES | Questionable price for Canada’s largest airport:
Toronto’s Pearson was ranked the world’s worst airport for delays
Toronto’s Pearson International Airport was ranked as the world’s worst airport for flight delays. Amid travel chaos, travelers continue to share complaints on social media, while tourism groups fear the publicity could affect travel to Canada.
Air Canada is taking advantage of politics, advocate says
In the December memo, issued at the height of the Omicron wave of COVID-19, Air Canada said: “Effective immediately, flight cancellations due to crew are considered within air carrier control — For safety.” “Customers affected by these flight cancellations will still be eligible for standard treatments such as hotel accommodation, meals etc, but will no longer be eligible for APPR/cash compensation claims.” The staff directive said the stoppage would be “temporary”. However, Air Canada acknowledged in a July 25 email that the policy “remains in effect given the ongoing exceptional circumstances caused by the variations of COVID.” Gabor Lukacs, president of the air passenger rights advocacy group, said Air Canada is “illegally” exploiting the passenger charter of rights to avoid paying compensation and called on the transportation regulator for tougher enforcement. “They’re misclassifying things that are clearly not a safety issue,” he said of Canada’s largest airline, calling the policy “amazing.” Consumers can challenge an airline’s claim denial by filing a complaint with the CTA. However, the agency’s backlog exceeded 15,300 air travel complaints since May.
Air Canada tries to prevent compensation claims: lawyer
Lukacs also noted that European Union regulations do not exclude safety reasons from situations requiring compensation in the event of cancellation or delays. Payments are only excluded as a result of “extraordinary circumstances”, such as weather or political instability. “This document, along with previous statements and behavior since the beginning of the pandemic, shows that Air Canada’s priority is clearly trying to contain the cost of flight cancellations rather than providing good service to its customers,” said Sylvie De Bellefeuille. a lawyer for the Quebec-based advocacy group Option consommateurs, said after reviewing a copy of the directive. He said Air Canada aims to prevent passengers from seeking compensation in the first place. “This tactic does not, in our opinion, demonstrate that the company cares about its customers.” Air Canada disputes this characterization. “Air Canada had and continues to have more employees depending on its flight schedule compared to before the pandemic,” the company said in an emailed statement, saying it had done everything it could to prepare for operational problems. . “Air Canada follows all public health guidelines as part of its safety culture and during the Omicron wave last winter which affected some crew availability, we revised our policy to better assist customers in their journeys with improved levels customer service for flight cancellations related to crew battling COVID.” John Gradek, head of McGill University’s aviation management program, said the transportation agency is partly to blame for the “collapse” because it established looser rules than those in Europe and the United States. “Carriers have made vigorous efforts to point the finger and claim that the delays are out of their control to minimize responsibility,” he said in an email. LISTEN | No relief for frustrated travelers: The Current28:53 Travelers continue to battle airport wait times and cancellations, but experts say there won’t be any relief anytime soon Travelers continue to battle long wait times, flight delays and cancellations as they try to travel by plane this summer. These challenges prompted Air Canada to cancel flights throughout the summer. For Jenn MacDougall, that meant sleeping on the airport floor. Now he tells guest presenter Rosemary Barton that he is calling for action. Travel expert Scott Keyes discusses how people can better prepare. and Monette Pasher, president of the Canadian Airports Council, says global travel probably won’t improve anytime soon.
