From
Global News Winnipeg:
WINNIPEG — People are starting to question if NewLeaf Travel is still a good flight option after a passenger advocate warns Canadians to avoid the airline.
A former assistant professor at the University of Manitoba who now lives in Halifax has been a thorn in the side of Canada’s airline companies for eight years. That’s because Gabor Lukacs takes passenger complaints to the Canadian Transportation Agency.
NewLeaf Travel announced it will begin flying on February 12, but Lukacs, a self proclaimed air passenger advocate, said NewLeaf Travel is operating illegally because it doesn’t have a licence.
“Until NewLeaf has cleared up this mess, until NewLeaf has properly applied and obtained a licence passengers should not book with NewLeaf,” said Lukacs in a interview with Global News from his home in Halifax.
NewLeaf Travel has partnered with Flair airlines, who will provide the aircraft and the licence.
Lukacs said without its own licence, NewLeaf doesn’t have a clear policy on how passengers are protected or compensated if their flight is delayed, cancelled or baggage is lost or damaged.
“NewLeaf and Flair airlines will be pointing at each other, Flair airlines will say our baggage liability is only $250 but NewLeaf has a different policy,” said Lukacs.
After this story gained traction on the Global News website this week, NewLeaf Travel responded Wednesday in a statement, “If our partner, Flair, already has a licence, why would we go to the step of getting one if we don’t need one?”
The Canadian Transportation Agency is reviewing whether NewLeaf requires a licence, the airline said it “will be providing feedback through the consultation process, and await the outcome of the review.”
A decision likely won’t be made until after NewLeaf takes off in February.