Canada’s airlines have failed in their challenge of air passenger protection rules that the federal government implemented in 2019.
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday that airlines can be required to provide passengers standardized compensation on some international flights for delays within their control.
Dozens of airlines represented by the International Air Transport Association challenged the additional passenger protections on the grounds that the regulations conflicted with the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that Canada signed in 2001.
While the Supreme Court decision allows the regulations to stand, it won’t necessarily increase the speed at which passengers will get their money back for delayed flights and damaged baggage.
The Canadian Transportation Agency says that between Jan. 1, 2023, and September 15, 2024, passengers filed 43, 549 complaints with the agency. As it processes the new complaints, the CTA says its dealing with an estimated backlog of 79.000 cases – some of which date back to 2019.
More details to come.