The federal government is working on a new bill of air passenger rights.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says it emphasizes keeping you informed while you’re travelling.
“When a delay or a cancellation occurs, or extra time spent on the tarmac, that regular communication occurs with the passengers so they have an idea of what is going on.”
Once finalized, the bill would mean you can spend up to three hours on a plane waiting for your flight to take off before airlines are required to let you leave.
Garneau explains while it may sound like a long wait, they want to allow time for delays to be resolved before airlines are required to let you off the plane.
“Realizing that if you don’t time it properly, you may end up spending more time going back, getting off [the plane], losing your place in the queue, getting back in, and then finally taking off,” Garneau explains.
He says it will benefit both passengers and airlines.
The draft of the bill will be released this Saturday and open for public comments until February 20th.
A strong air transportation system is fundamental to Canada’s overall economic performance and competitiveness. We owe it to Canadian air travelers to make it a fair system as well. https://t.co/t1jGOsNS08 pic.twitter.com/WSemq2NPEi
— Marc Garneau (@MarcGarneau) December 17, 2018