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A backlog of 85,000 complaints from air passengers is piling up at the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), and one advocate says the system is failing passengers.
From delays and cancellations to compensation disputes, the CTA is drowning in complaints.
Canada’s transport agency is drowning in complaints about airlines
Decisions
Workers’ compensation, transfer of allocation of costs – Air Transat – Opérations aéroportuaires, 2025 QCTAT 3020
Flight attendants suffered psychological injuries following passenger death during flight – issue of transfer of allocation of costs – third-party responsibility for incident – risks inherent to employer’s operations – cost of benefits fully charged to employer’s financial file
Discrimination, jurisdiction – Cecot v. GardaWorld Security Screening Inc., 2025 HRTO 1859
Claim of discrimination with respect to employment because of family status – previous Tribunal decisions found respondent is federally regulated – collective agreement also refers to Canadian Human Rights Act – Tribunal lacks jurisdiction – application dismissed
Access to information, delay – Transport Canada (Re), 2025 OIC 32
Failure to respond to request for access within prescribed 30-day period – request transferred to appropriate office but missed – delay unacceptable – access to information is a collective responsibility – Transport Canada (TC) to respond to request no later than 36 business days following report – also recommended that Minister of Transport develop proper processes and procedures to ensure responsive records are provided in timely fashion, and performance indicators to hold TC senior officials accountable for delays
Compensation, cancellation – Baugh v. WestJet Airlines Ltd, 2025 BCCRT 1046
Application for $1,000 per passenger under Airline Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) for cancelled flights – no expert evidence to explain highly technical evidence presented – insufficient evidence to show safe operation of aircraft was impossible due to meteorological conditions – applicants to receive $1,000 each under APPR
Compensation, delay – Mitchell v. WestJet Airlines Ltd., 2025 BCCRT 1057
Flight delayed 4 hours – applicants each claimed $400 under Airline Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) and together claimed $1,000 in punitive damages – airline agreed to APPR compensation – punitive damages barred by Montreal Convention – applicants to receive $400 each under APPR – punitive damages claim dismissed
CIRB Decisions
- Bargaining Unit Order – Paladin Airport Security Services Ltd. – Order No. 12100-U
Revision of bargaining unit description by agreement of the parties to include screening contractor training representatives – IAMAW certified to be bargaining agent for unit comprising “all employees of Paladin Airport Security Services Ltd. engaged in security screening, including the screening of passengers, baggage, airport employees, non-passengers, vehicles and cargo, including point leaders, lead screeners and screening contractor training representatives, at the Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, British Columbia, excluding service delivery managers and those above the rank of service delivery manager”
CTA News and Decisions
- Application – High Altitude Heli Services Ltd – Determination No. A-2025-134
Application for licence to operate domestic services, small and all-cargo aircraft – licence issued
- Application – Cayman Private Aviation Ltd. – Determination No. A-2025-135
Application for licence to operate a non-scheduled international service to transport traffic on a charter basis between the Cayman Islands and Canada – licence issued subject to conditions
- Application – Elevate Jet, LLC – Determination No. A-2025-136
Application for licence to operate a non-scheduled international service between Canada and the United States – licence issued subject to conditions
- Application – Air Charter Service, Inc. – Determination No. A-2025-137
Application for cancellation of Licence 010004 – licence cancelled
- Application – C&C Aviation LLC c.o.b. Northern Airways – Determination No. A-2025-140
Application for licence to operate a non-scheduled international service between Canada and the United States – licence issued subject to conditions
- Suspension – Triton Airways Limited Liability Company – Order No. 2025-A-S-146
Licence 180077 – reinstated effective July 30, 2025
- Suspension – Bering Air, Inc. – Order No. 2025-A-S-147
Licence 967566
- Suspension – Bankair, Inc. – Order No. 2025-A-S-148
Licence 100046
TC/TSB News
- Airworthiness Directives
- Civil Aviation Safety Alerts
- TSB deployed a team of investigators following a small aircraft accident to Dugald, Manitoba
- TSB is deploying a team of investigators following a small aircraft accident at the Deer Lake Regional Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador
- TSB is deploying a team of investigators following an aircraft incident at Toronto / Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario
Industry Association News
- AIAC – The countdown to ADSE 2025 is on!
- CBAA – Your Weekly Bulletin – July 31, 2025
- COPA – Aviation insurance rates hit a low point, but a shift is coming
- IATA – June air cargo demand up 0.8% despite trade disruptions
- IATA – Passenger growth slows to 2.6% in June
- ICAO – Global summit in Durban to accelerate development of aviation workforce
Union News
- ALPA –Open letter to the communities of Nunavik and the passengers of the Far North
- CUPE –Pascan Aviation flight attendants file for conciliation
- CUPE Air Canada – Bargaining Committee Update – 26 – Fair contract, your future
- Unifor –Unifor members at Cascade Aerospace ratify new agreement ending strike
- Unifor 2002 –Aeroplan members: Aeroplan & Air Canada bargaining committees begin joint efforts toward new collective agreement
- Unifor 2002 –Paladin District 266: Update from your bargaining committee
Airport News
- Calgary Airport limiting U.S. customs access to 2 hours before flight time
- Edmonton Airport opens ‘safe room’ to help human trafficking victims
- Muskoka Airport’s new CEO wants to take operations ‘to new heights’
- Toronto Pearson Airport returns to normal operations after 2 runways temporarily closed
- Trail Regional Airport sees steady passenger growth
Rotary Operator News
- Chartright Polson Pier Heliport newest gateway to downtown Toronto
- Electric Aircraft Symposium highlights momentum in eVTOL certification
General Aviation News
- Air Canada expands landline luxury motorcoach service, connects Kingston to its global network
- CCC, DHC and USAF team up to provide vital aircraft to Guatemala
- Domestic air travel increasing as cross border flights drop
- Evacuating RiseAir
- Female pilots perform better under pressure, study finds
- Government of Yukon and Alkan Air sign a new $157 million 10-year air ambulance services contract
- Investigators sift through wreckage of small-plane crash that killed 2 in Deer Lake
- Pilot of small privately registered plane dead after crash in southern Manitoba field
- Porter Airlines E195-E2 pilots begin training in Montreal with new Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS) full-flight simulator
- Reality Check: What it takes to work in air traffic services
- Small plane with 3 aboard crashes west of Ottawa Airport
- What a possible Air Canada flight attendant strike could mean for travellers