B.C. passengers win compensation for cancelled Air Canada flight
Air Canada has been ordered to pay more than $1,500 in damages and fees to two B.C. passengers whose travel plans were delayed more than seven hours due to staffing constraints amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
British Columbia's Civil Resolution Tribunal found that Inayat Singh and Suk Young Yoon were owed the compensation under the federal Air Passenger Protection Regulations after their flight was cancelled and they were rebooked on a later flight.
The pair were scheduled to leave Victoria International Airport at 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 22. 2021, and arrive in Toronto at 7:56 a.m.
However, the flight was cancelled a few hours before its scheduled departure due to what the airline called "crew constraints resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations," according to the tribunal's decision, issued Thursday.
Air Canada rebooked the pair on another flight arriving in Toronto by 3:30 p.m. that same day.
The company argued it did not owe any compensation to Singh and Yoon, saying such flight disruptions cannot be analyzed individually, but must be assessed "within the context of the aviation ecosystem" during the pandemic, which was beyond the airline's control.
Tribunal vice-chair Shelley Lopez found Air Canada's response "insufficient" and "vague."
"There is no express exception under the APPR [Air Passenger Protection Regulations] for delays due to disruptions in the overall 'aviation ecosystem,' nor are there any express exceptions due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic," Lopez said.
"I find the delay was within Air Canada's control and was not for safety purposes."
The tribunal ordered the airline to pay the passengers $1,561.78 within 21 days of the decision. The total compensation includes $1,400 in damages, $125 in tribunal fees and $36.78 in pre-judgment interest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'