Chaos probed

Transport minister summoned to House of Commons committee

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has been summoned to appear in front of the House of Commons committee on transport, infrastructure and communities as the federal government faces increased scrutiny for its response to the flight delays and cancellations plaguing Canada’s largest airports.

Members of the committee unanimously approved a motion Monday

calling on the minister to appear before the group no later than Aug. 22 and account for the widespread disruptions.

The motion, introduced by Conservative MP and transportation critic Melissa Lantsman, states Alghabra shall appear for “no fewer than two hours” and requests that the meeting be televised.

The emergency session, which has yet to be scheduled, comes as airlines and airports continue to grapple with widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and lengthy lineups. Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has been hardest hit.

“The government has failed in their duty to manage Canadian airports effectively and efficiently,” Lantsman said in a statement to the Star.

“They have had months to deal with the challenges facing (Canadians) after ignoring the advanced warnings resulting in fewer screening agents, longer lineups, delays and international notoriety for being the worst,” Lantsman said.

The request for the meeting, which lasted less than 10 minutes, was penned by Lantsman and signed by all six opposition members on the committee — representing the Conservatives, Bloc Québécois and NDP.

(Though the House of Commons is adjourned for the summer and not set to resume until September, committees may be called back if at least four members, representing at least two different parties, submit a formal request in writing.)

Last week, Deborah Flint, president of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, said delays at Canada’s busiest travel hub are declining, with 44 per cent of flights now ontime compared with 35 per cent over four weeks ago. However, she stopped short of making specific commitments to improve travel times going forward.

For months, airlines and airport authorities had pointed fingers at the government for the delays, citing COVID-19 restrictions, problems with the ArriveCAN app and a shortage of security agents.

But experts have also said major airlines — in particular Air Canada — are also to blame for scheduling too many flights in the summer, despite not having enough staff.

Canada’s largest airline is now facing heat for refusing compensation claims to passengers.

In a Dec. 29 memo, Air Canada instructed employees to classify flight cancellations caused by staff shortages as a “safety” problem, which would exclude travellers from compensation under federal regulations. That policy remains in place.

Canada’s passenger rights charter, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), mandates airlines to pay up to $1,000 in compensation for cancellations or significant delays that stem from reasons within the carrier’s control when the notification comes 14 days or less before departure. However, airlines do not have to pay if the change was required for safety purposes.

The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), a quasi-judicial federal body, says treating staff shortages as a safety matter violates federal rules. “If a crew shortage is due to the actions or inactions of the carrier, the disruption will be considered within the carrier’s control for the purposes of the APPR. Therefore, a disruption caused by a crew shortage should not be considered ‘required for safety purposes’ when it is the carrier who caused the safety issue as a result of its own actions,” the agency said.

In an email statement, the airline said it had done everything it could to prepare for operational hiccups.

John Gradek, head of McGill University’s aviation management program, said the federal transportation agency is partly responsible for the “debacle” because it established looser rules than those in Europe and the U.S.

“Carriers have been making strong efforts to point fingers and claim delays are outside of their control to reduce liability,” he said.

Though new CTA regulations are being introduced effective Sept. 8, some advocates say the rules fall short of frameworks in other countries.

The new regulations will require carriers to either refund passengers or rebook them, at the traveller’s choice, if a flight is cancelled or delayed by three hours or more.

Previously, the passenger rights regime only required refunds for flight disruptions that were within the airline’s control, which excluded situations ranging from weather to war to unscheduled mechanical issues.

The European Union requires airlines to provide a plane seat within five hours of the initial departure — not 48 — or a refund must be offered. The CTA acknowledged the change doesn’t align with requirements in the EU or U.S., but said it accounts for the realities of Canadian carriers.

In a joint press release issued last Wednesday, the ministers of transport, health, public safety and tourism said Alghabra “continues to meet with senior leadership at airports and airlines of all sizes across the country to ensure ongoing collaboration and continued action that will help reduce delays and keep travellers moving,” adding that the government is also working to hire more staff and improve the ArriveCAN app.

‘‘ A disruption caused by a crew shortage should not be considered ‘required for safety purposes’ when it is the carrier who caused the safety issue as a result of its own actions.

THE CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION AGENCY