Bartolo

Heard the Minister the other day talking about legislation he plans to introduce shortly. Globe article on the subject today (link below).

How could we, as air passengers, potentially influence the bill?



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...ticle32681878/

Sopwith

Since the Liberals came to power I have emailed my MP several times and a cabinet minister once. Zero response. They don't give a rat's derrière what you think.

Junior is delusional - worse than the NDP. When it comes to fiscal responsibility he is certifiably naive and clueless. The best thing you can do is ride it out until the next election and hope the Conservatives can come up with a credible leader.

YOWgary

FT has many rules, and many users with many different views on those rules, but I feel like we can all agree that this board is improved by the absence of political arguments.

Lights_a_blur

I'd be happier if they started by overhauling CATSA.

CATSA is an absolute embarrassment to our nation. I shudder to think what visitors must think when they see a chair placed in the metal detector, so 6 staff can lazily chat back by the full body scanner.

I expect better for my $7.12

imverge

Really? I emailed my MP back in August and received a response stating that they had contacted the cabinet ministers office and to expect an announcement by the end of the year. Which obviously did happen.


Nobody is here to read you personal political views.

imverge

^

imverge

The Ministers office did do some public consultations. This included surveys at many airports across Canada with the travelling public.

Transpacificflyer

The initiative started several years ago during the Harper administration. The NDP had been pushing for the changes for years and credit is due to the back benchers in the NDP and Conservative parties who had worked together to force the issue. What we are seeing now is the result of the work that was initiated at that time.

The Canadian airline industry has done its utmost to block and derail the introduction of basic protections and was probably hoping it could use the argument that more time was needed to study the issue. Fortunately, the current minister of Transport, Marc Garneau is a man of integrity. He has pushed the issue to the front, The regulatory affairs people at Air canada must have soiled their pants when they saw the announcement. Meanwhile over at SunWing and Air Transat , the executives are probably a tad concerned.

If the legislation has teeth, this is the beginning of the end for SunWing and Air Transat. Air Canada and West Jet can and will adapt.

ridefar

+1000

yyzborg

This thread is not about anything Air Canada (directly) related. Why has it not been moved?

Bartolo

I was hoping that we might use this opportunity of a proposed bill to make practical suggestions that have the potential to improve our AC experience. I plan to speak with my MP and seek her support for the idea. Perhaps we can generate a list of realistic ideas that FT members can use in approaching their MP, the Minister, etc.

segacs

Also agree this probably belongs in the Canada forum as opposed to the AC one.

But, practical suggestions, here goes:

1. Clear rules on compensation due in the event of a flight delay or cancellation, involuntary denial of boarding, or lost or delayed luggage -- how much, after how much time, under what circumstances. With an easy process (preferably online) to submit the claim and get paid in a timely fashion.

2. A public reporting system or website where any Canadian can log on to see what the official reason is for a delay, i.e. stop airlines from claiming a weather delay when it's really mechanical or operational.

3. Minimum standards set for seat width and pitch, aisle room, etc. The airlines are squeezing sardine class more and more, and it's becoming a health and safety issue at this point.

4. Require transparency with fees and taxes, i.e. end the practice of airlines getting to pretend that "fuel surcharges" or other scam charges are taxes.

5. Require clarity in tariffs. Similar to how the CRTC now requires clarity in mobile contracts, make airlines publish clear, easy to find, easy to read rules with every ticket that make sense to consumers. None of this "we're legally required to post this, so we'll bury it on a non-indexed page of our website, in 50 pages of non-scannable PDF fine print legalese" BS.

6. Fees for cancellations, rebookings and changes should be clear, reasonable, and easy to understand at the time you book the ticket. A detailed breakdown should be issued by the airline for every change, including what portion of the ticket can be re-used, under what circumstances, and at what cost. You can still sell restrictive economy tickets, but you shouldn't be able to get away with obfuscating the fees.

7. Compensation for seat reassignments, seat changes or involuntary downgrades if you've paid for your seat selection. The airlines can't have it both ways: If a seat is merely a 'request', they shouldn't charge for it. If they charge for it, you've purchased something and you have a right to a refund if you don't get it.

8. Require airlines by law to reasonably accommodate passengers with disabilities or other special needs. Arguably, they do a decent job of this already, but there's very little protection built in for the times when they don't.

This is just off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll think of more.

Stranger

Actually the rat was pretty much in bed with AC. So arguably this tread does belong. That she is now one of the contenders for Reform leadership does not really affect relevance.

Jumper Jack

Throw in 500 grand and lobby the swag out of it.

somedude3210

#3 - I'm a tall fat guy and I mostly disagree with this one. There are options for extra leg room and/or getting a PE or J seat. I do get hosed on Y-only planes when there's no option to pay for a bigger seat though.

#4 - Agreed. There's the fare and taxes. The only fees involved in purchasing an air ticket should be whatever optional service that has been unbundled from the fare. The fuel surcharge business is BS.