麻豆影视

Canada

    • New refund requirements for cancelled flights take effect

    Share

    New refund requirements for commercial flight delays and cancellations are now in effect across Canada.

    As of Sept. 8, airlines are now obligated to provide passengers with refunds for flights cancelled or delayed due to reasons outside the airlines鈥 control. The new federal requirements under the (APPR) will now apply to all flights from and within Canada, including connecting flights.

    Under the new requirements, if a passenger鈥檚 flight is cancelled or delayed by three hours or more for reasons outside of an airline鈥檚 control, the airline must offer the passenger a reservation on a flight operated by the airline or one of their partners within 48 hours of the departure time on the passenger鈥檚 original ticket.

    If the airline can鈥檛 meet that requirement, it must offer the passenger either a refund or alternative travel arrangements, free of charge. For large airlines, this could mean having to rebook the passenger on the next available flight of any airline, including competitors.

    Passengers are free to choose a refund at any time after the 48-hour window and before being provided a confirmed reservation on an alternate flight. Airlines must pay refunds within 30 days, and any airline that does not follow the new regulations could face a fine of up to $25,000 per incident.

    Under the previous APPR rules, airlines were required to rebook affected passengers, free of charge, on the next available flight operated by them or a partner airline. There was no requirement that the flight depart within 48 hours of the original flight, and airlines were only required to provide refunds or offer alternate travel arrangements for disruptions that were within their control.

    However, after Canadian airlines for flights cancelled due to COVID-19, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau gave the Canadian Transportation Agency the authority to establish new guidelines on Dec. 18, 2020.

    While the Canadian Transportation Agency positions the new guidelines as offering increased passenger protection, Gabor Lukacs, an advocate for Canadian air passengers and the president of the non-profit Air Passenger Rights, said they actually do a disservice to airline passengers.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 a sham. It鈥檚 smoke and mirrors,鈥 Lukacs told CTVNews.ca in an interview over the phone on Wednesday. 鈥淭he government is telling people they鈥檙e getting new rights while, in reality, the government is giving passengers a watered down version of the rights they already have under the law.鈥

    Lukacs explained that in many jurisdictions outside of Canada, including in the United States, the European Union, Israel and Turkey, airlines are required by law to provide refunds in the original form of payment for cancelled flights whether the reason for the cancellation was within the airline鈥檚 control or not. That's without the stipulation that the airline has 48 hours to re-book a passenger onto another of its own or a partner airline鈥檚 flights.

    He said that expectation is also codified in the Canada Transportation Act and the Air Transportation Regulations, as well as in some provinces鈥 legislation. However, Lukacs said, the new requirements give a false appearance of legality to airlines denying requests for a refund within 48 hours of the time a cancelled flight was scheduled to depart.

    鈥淭he government is giving more opportunities for airlines to say they don鈥檛 have to refund passengers in some cases,鈥 Lukacs said.

    For example, under the new APPR requirements, a passenger whose travel plans are dependent on them arriving at their destination within a 24-hour window isn鈥檛 owed a refund for a flight cancelled outside an airline鈥檚 control, as long as the airline offers them an alternative flight within 48 hours. If they decide not to accept the alternative flight because it won鈥檛 get them to their destination in time, new APPR requirements do not spell out a requirement to refund them.

    鈥淭hat seems to be a big loophole to try to allow airlines to have some kind of appearance of legality for pocketing the money of people who decide not to travel when their flight is cancelled,鈥 Lukacs said.

    He said anyone who finds themselves in such a position could consider taking legal action against the airline involved, citing a different set of regulations, such as the Canada Transportation Act or the Air Transportation Regulations, as well as existing case law.

    鈥淚f it were me, I would sue the airline in small claims court on the basis of the case law, because it鈥檚 not a good faith performance of the contract to offer a flight in 47 hours,鈥 he said.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people

    Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.

    The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.

    A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.

    • Weather watchers were treated to an exceptionally rare display on Friday evening as rare cloud formations filled Vancouver skies.

    • For some shoppers it was Nov. 1, but for others the first hints of Christmas - saccharine treats, festive-fragranced candles and gaudily wrapped gift sets - were being noticed in stores long before the final Halloween decor had been cleared.

    • Thousands of people are expected to gather in downtown Vancouver on Monday to observe the city鈥檚 100th Remembrance Day ceremony.

    • Toronto is expected to see an economic boost to the tune of nearly $300 million thanks to Taylor Swift鈥檚 upcoming Eras Tour, which will be making a stop in Canada鈥檚 largest city for a six-show run later this month.

    • One man was transported to hospital early Monday morning after a stabbing in the northwest end of the city, Toronto police say.

    • A pair of 105-mm howitzers bark constantly as they turn plywood tank targets into kindling kilometres away on the windswept landscape of one of Canada's largest military bases.

    • Two semis were among the vehicles involved in a multi-vehicle crash that brought westbound traffic along Stoney Trail Northwest to a standstill on Sunday.

    • More than 700 people danced, ate, and sang to celebrate Diwali Saturday night at the Genesis Centre in northeast Calgary.

    • NEW THIS MORNING

      NEW THIS MORNING

      An Ottawa boy with a rare disease will be getting the chance to see Taylor Swift in concert after the winner and organizers of an auction held on his behalf gifted the tickets to him.

    • CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa.

    • After months of controversy surrounding a dog park in Ottawa's west end, a solution has been reached to divide the park in half.

    • An elementary school in Greenfield Park on Montreal鈥檚 South Shore is closed after it was the target of an alleged arson attack.

    • Some 12,000 daycare workers are set to begin their strike action Monday morning.

    • Two vehicles were set on fire in Montreal鈥檚 east end Riviere-des-Prairies neighbourhood.

    • Monday is Remembrance Day, a time to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty.

    • Boasting 2,300 square metres of skating space at its new location, Edmonton's Rollers Roller Rink believes it is the largest in Canada.

    • A woman is dead after a driver crashed a truck through a Boston Pizza in Fort McMurray late Saturday morning.

    • A Cape Breton senior recalls her life in German-occupied France, and her mother鈥檚 death, during the Second World War.

    • It's been a trip to cherish for a group of Canadians visiting Belgium this week to honour the legacy of Indigenous soldiers.

    • A pillar in Canada鈥檚 history was honoured in Winnipeg Sunday afternoon, with thousands showing up to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the late Murray Sinclair.

    • Winnipeg police have identified two men involved in a stabbing incident earlier this week.

    • There will be two ceremonies taking place in Regina for Remembrance Day, hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion.

    • Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book 鈥榃ar Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.鈥

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • A man has been charged after a stabbing at an apartment building in Kitchener.

    • The Guelph Police Service is putting out a warning after two deaths in the downtown area.

    • Two new tributes to Canada鈥檚 veterans have been unveiled at the Elmira Cenotaph.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP are searching for a suspect after a man was seriously injured in a farm-related incident in Montreal Lake.

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • The Regina Rams claimed the Hardy Cup after a hard fought battle against the Saskatoon Huskies 19-14 on Saturday in the first all Saskatchewan U-Sports western conference final since 2002.

    • Emergency crews responded to the scene on Road 68/Highway 2 east of Thamesford around 7 p.m.

    • On Friday, the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) received a report of an alleged abduction in the area of Kathleen Avenue and Walnut Avenue.

    • The events will start at 10:15 a.m. with a parade that forms up in front of the Delta London Armories, marches east on Dundas Street and turns north onto Waterloo Street to Dufferin Avenue, the west to the Cenotaph.

    • A group of former NHL players faced off against York Regional Police officers in Newmarket Sunday afternoon to raise funds for Special Olympics programs across the province.

    • A driver is facing multiple charges after a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 400 early Sunday morning.

    • The agreed statement of facts was read to the court on Friday in the case of Alex Williams, the 24-year-old jail guard charged last fall with smuggling cannabis and tobacco into Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene.

    • One person has been arrested after Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) received multiple complaints about an alleged drunk driver.

    • More details have been released about a police investigation at the Ambassador Bridge that connects Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, MI.

    • An individual is dead following a collision involving a motorcycle in Kingsville.

    • Environment Canada says heavy rain and winds could cause power outages on Vancouver Island as an "intense" storm system is set to hit the B.C. coast Sunday.

    • Six deer were struck by vehicles in six different locations in a six-hour period on B.C. highways on Saturday, according to the transportation ministry.

    • The union for locked-out port workers in British Columbia says the BC Maritime Employers Association cut off talks in less than an hour Saturday, refusing to budge on a final offer that the union has so far rejected.

    • The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.

    • Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • The Southern Alberta Recreation Association is officially announcing the Town of Taber as next year鈥檚 host for the Southern Alberta Summer Games.

    • The Lethbridge Hurricanes broke open a close game with three goals in the first two minutes of the third period as they defeated the Warriors 7-3 in a game played Friday night in Moose Jaw.

    • There might not a lot snow just yet, but many southern Albertans are still itching to get outdoors.

    • Police have arrested a 15-year-old in connection with a break-in and $50,000 in damage done to the Centennial Arena in Elliot Lake in September.

    • Mayors of the five largest cities in northern Ontario met in North Bay the last two days to discuss a range of critical issues impacting their cities and the region.

    • Residents in the Sault expressed concerns ranging from vandalism to privacy invasions during recent consultations on the city's plan to install automated speed enforcement cameras.

    N.L.

    Local Spotlight

    For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

    Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

    A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

    As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

    A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.

    A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

    Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

    A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

    Politics

    • Murray Sinclair鈥檚 family members say the late justice and senator has been laid to rest according to his wishes.

    • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale鈥擫angley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视