Can’t compare Canada with EU.
The cost of running an airline is much higher in Canada than EU, due to the lower population density, weather, airport infrastructures, regulations, etc.This results in higher price, less/worse service, or a combination of both.
There are also much more airlines in EU, which means people have choice, and airlines are in a more competitive environment. In Canada, AC is “top notch” in domestic market.
And of course, the legal and regulatory environment are also different in Canada, as mentioned above.
When airlines spent much more time and effort to lobby the government on the new APPR than the travelling public, it’s pretty clear who the new rules would favour. While I don’t disagree that there are still some possibilities for the new APPR to be interpreted in a way more favourable to passengers, let’s be honest, how many passengers are going to bring the issue to Supreme Court or above, causing real dents to airlines? Airlines don’t care about Small Claim Court cases.
The bottom line is, AC and other airlines continues to fill their planes, regardless of how bad people think they are. AC is a vital part of transportation in Canada, there simply aren’t many alternatives. How many passengers can really “never fly AC/WS again” as they once said? As long as enough people keep flying, there is no need to improve.
My point being, I don’t expect airlines in Canada to drastically improve their service unless there are some significant changes, such as allowing foreign airlines to compete domestically, building alternative forms of transportations, Canadians drastically change their travel habits, some major reforms to consumer laws, etc, but how realistic are those changes, and, do we really want those changes?