Originally Posted by
skiier97
Is "crew constraint due to COVID 19" a valid reason to receive compensation?
I would assume that AC would say No - because COVID.
However the CTA
recently ruled in favour of a pax who was delayed 21 hours after a cancellation/reschedule due to a crew shortage. Yes the airline was WS, but the following could equally apply to AC in some cases:
The Agency set out its interpretation for crew shortages. According to this interpretation:
- Crew shortages are within the airline's control, unless the airline could not have prevented the flight disruption despite proper planning.
- The threshold for establishing that a crew shortage is not within the airline's control is high, given that airlines generally have control over staffing issues, such as hiring, dispatching and training.
- The airline must provide evidence showing that the crew shortage was not the result of its own actions or inactions.
- Failing this, the disruption is considered within the airline's control for the purposes of the APPR.
In this example, the pax got $1,000 in compensation.
To say that this is evolving is an understatement and the CTA is hardly instant gratification. But, if you've got the time, it could be worth lodging a complaint (after AC formally rejects your claim).
Maybe if enough people do this, then AC will be more forthcoming with both their explanations and compensation.