Trolling for votes...

[Kip Powick]

NDP MP has high hopes for legislation securing rights of airline passengers

January 23, 2009

With bitter holiday memories of sleeping in airports, haranguing ticket agents and languishing on tarmacs still fresh, beleaguered air passengers can take solace in a private member's bill set to be introduced next month.

The Airline Passenger's Bill of Rights would require airlines to compensate passengers up to $1,000 for bumping them from an overbooked flight, and prevent loaded planes from being stranded on the tarmac.

Drafted by Winnipeg NDP MP Jim Maloway, the bill is set to be introduced on Feb. 10.

The chances of any private member's bill passing are slim, but Mr. Maloway says his proposal has a good shot at becoming law.

"I've really hit a nerve here," he said. "I expect this bill to pass for a bunch of reasons, one of them being that all 305 people voting on this are regular fliers."

Most important, the rookie MP scored an early seventh-place slot in the calendar of bill introductions.

Consumer advocates are welcoming the bill, but don't expect it to succeed.

"I admire the endeavour and the principle behind it," said Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers' Association of Canada. "But we've seen other private member's bills along these lines fail due to Transport Canada being overwhelmed by industry lobbyists."

Last year, Liberal MP Gerry Byrne tabled a motion calling for "the government to bring forward an airline passenger bill of rights." The motion gained all-party support, but Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon rejected a Liberal suggestion to introduce a new bill, saying consumer protections were already strong enough.

Mr. Cannon later introduced Flight Rights Canada, a program to publicize already existing air travel rules.

"From our perspective, it was basically useless and had no redeeming features," Mr. Cran said. "Passengers are not looking for a free ride, they just want some decent treatment."

Considering politicians of all stripes were inundated with complaints over the holiday season stemming from delayed or cancelled flights, support for such a bill could be stronger this time around.

In one case, passengers aboard a Toronto-bound Air Canada flight were stranded on the tarmac in Vancouver for more than 12 hours.

"The problem is getting worse rather than better," Mr. Maloway said. "In the dog-eat-dog world of airline competition, there is a lot of incentive to cut corners."

Mr. Maloway's proposal adopts a number of measures from a European Union bill enacted three years ago, namely that passengers be compensated $400 to $1,000 if they are bumped from a flight.

It also embraces aspects of a failed New York state law mandating that airlines allow passengers to disembark after waiting on tarmacs for more than three hours.

Mr. Maloway's bill would lower that waiting-time cap to one hour.

Airline representatives from Air Canada and WestJet refused to comment on the bill until they see a final version. They did, however, emphasize that airlines are often at the mercy of air traffic controllers, airport authorities and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority when it comes to tarmac delays.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzgerald has not seen the bill, but said any legislation based on last year's unusually chaotic holiday travel season could be an overreaction.

"Christmas was a very challenging time for the entire industry," he said.

"We moved one million people in 10 days and, most importantly, they all travelled safely."

Passenger Bill of Rights

Thank goodness that near the end of the article someone mentions airports and weather !!!!