Due to the arrival of winter storms from some days, Canadians are facing many issues and are struggling to reach their destinations. Many Canadians are attempting to travel owing to the holidays, but amidst the freezing rains, blowing snow, and strong winds, nearly all the airlines canceled hundreds of flights particularly Canada to India flights across the country last week.
Due to inclement weather, Air Canada has announced it would implement a “goodwill refund policy” that makes it easy for customers to request a refund or travel voucher if they have purchased their ticket before Dec 21 for travel dates between Dec 22 and Dec 26.
The Air Canada website states, “If you have a scheduled trip during the affected dates, you can request a refund for your Air Canada flight up to two hours before departure, free of charge.”
People excluded from these goodwill gestures may be curious about their rights in such situations. In Canada, the Canadian Transportation Agency’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) compensates air travelers for flight delays and cancellations. APPR regulations are difficult to parse out, warns an advocate for Canadian Air passengers and the president of the non-profit Air passenger rights. The said NGO has also submitted a report to the house of commons recommending an overhaul of APPR and simplifying the language and definitions within the regulation. The terminologies are incredibly confusing and APPR has become highly complicated, the advocate said.
To simplify and streamline the process, Flyopedia presents passengers with information about their rights when a flight experiences delays or cancellations due to bad and inclement weather.
Events outside the Airline’s control
Many a times a flight is delayed or canceled for reasons outside the airline’s control. The reasons can include weather conditions, war, political instability, medical emergencies, instructions from Air traffic control, a security threat, and other factors.
Airlines should provide the passengers with a refund or alternative travel arrangement in case of a cancellation, denial of boarding, or delay of three hours or more. In case the passenger opts for an alternative travel arrangement, the airline should provide a seat on their next available flight or one operated by an airline with which they are under commercial agreement, within 48 hours of the original departure time.
If the airline somehow is not able to book the passenger on its own network then the rules state that they have to book flight tickets for the passenger on other airlines.
If the airline is not responsible for causing the denial of boarding, delay, or cancellation, they have no legal obligation to cover the expenses for food and accommodation for affected passengers, nor do they have to provide financial compensation.
Events within the airline’s control
Passengers have more favorable compensation options when flights experience cancellations or delays due to reasons within the airline’s control.
In cases where passengers receive notification of flight cancellations or delays less than 12 hours before their scheduled departure, airlines must supply food and beverages in reasonable amounts. Those who deny boarding immediately have these rights. In case passengers need to wait overnight for their flight. Airlines need to offer hotel or other comparable accommodation free of charge and also the free transportation to the accommodation.
Airline should also provide alternate travel arrangements or refunds in the event of a cancellation or a delay of three hours or more. If the likely cause of disruption is within their control then they have less time i.e 9 hours to arrange alternate travel within their own network and if that is not possible then they need to book tickets on another airline’s flight.
Sometimes, a flight cancellation occurs due to a crew shortage, a situation within the carrier’s control. In such cases, the airline must rebook you on another carrier’s flight if they cannot rebook you on one of their own networks within 9 hours.
Passengers who receive notification of the cancellation or delay 14 days or less before their departure time, or passengers who experience denial of boarding for unknown reasons, also have the right to receive financial compensation of up to $1000. The amount of compensation largely depends upon circumstances such as the length of the delay and the size of the airline.
For the passengers who are stuck on the tarmac
Sometimes inclement weather may make the airplane full of passengers grounded on the tarmac for hours before takeoff or after landing. Passengers, whether on the tarmac or stuck at the terminal, have the same rights as mentioned above in the event of a delay or cancellation.
When a plane is stuck on the tarmac, airlines must provide passengers with access to toilets, ensure adequate ventilation and cooling, offer the means to communicate with individuals outside the plane, and, when possible, provide food and drinks in reasonable quantities, considering the duration of the delay. For your next international trip, visit Flyopedia.com to find the best flight booking deals.
Airlines have a legal obligation to allow passengers to disembark once a flight has been on the tarmac for three hours. In exceptional cases of imminent takeoff, airlines can extend the window for disembarkation by an additional 45 minutes.
