Canada’s transportation regulator, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), has reported progress in addressing airline compensation claims since the introduction of a new complaint resolution process last fall. However, the CTA continues to face a backlog of complaints, with incoming complaints pushing the backlog to a new high.
Since September 2022, the CTA has processed over 11,000 complaints, approximately the same number processed in the previous fiscal year. Despite this progress, the backlog of unresolved complaints has risen to over 71,000.
Rita McPherson of Oakville, Ontario, is among the thousands of Canadians awaiting the resolution of her complaint filed in November 2022. McPherson’s complaint stems from an airline’s refusal to compensate her for a canceled flight that was rebooked for the next day. McPherson expressed frustration with the lengthy wait, which has exceeded a year, and the large number of complaints ahead of hers in the queue.
The CTA’s Director General of Analysis and Outreach, Tom Oommen, acknowledged the backlog but assured Canadians that their complaints would be addressed and processed more efficiently than initially anticipated. Oommen attributed the backlog to the high volume of incoming complaints, which reached a record high of over 43,000 for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The CTA is working on implementing new regulations that would place a greater burden on airlines to demonstrate that flight delays or cancellations occurred due to “exceptional circumstances.” The new regulations, expected to be finalized this year, would also allow the CTA to recover some or all of the costs of processing complaints from airlines.
The federal government has invested in initiatives to reduce the backlog, including a $75.9 million investment last year. Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s office emphasized the importance of passenger protection and the CTA’s role in enforcing air passenger protection regulations.
Oommen expressed confidence in the CTA’s ability to process complaints at an accelerated pace as complaint resolution officers gain experience with the new system and implement new tools and processes.
