Council of Atlantic Premiers worried about upcoming changes to Air Passenger protection regulations

Chair, NL Premier Andrew Furey says these changes could further add to challenges being faced by the airline industry and, consequently, negatively impact efforts to add capacity for passengers in the Atlantic region.

The council of Atlantic Premiers has written to the federal Transportation Minister raising concerns about the impact of proposed changes to Air Passenger Protection Regulations. In the letter, Chair, NL Premier Andrew Furey says these changes could further add to challenges being faced by the airline industry and, consequently, negatively impact efforts to add capacity for passengers in the Atlantic region. He says challenges have affected the quality of air travel for passengers, including reduced seat capacity and connectivity; travel disruptions; and delays; and increased costs. Furey added some of the proposed changes could include compensation for delays caused by unplanned mechanical events and the requirement for passengers to be re-booked within 9 hours in case of a flight disruption. While this is intended to protect passengers and improve air travel quality in Canada, they are particularly challenging in the context of servicing passengers in regional markets and do not recognize the distinct issues associated with flight frequency and availability in smaller market centres. The Council is concerned that the proposed regulatory changes are likely to mean even further increased costs for Atlantic residents as airlines look to recoup the costs of regulatory compliance.