Cash to passengers for delays
Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:45 pm
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MP proposes to give passengers cash for airline delays
Article Comments (11) BRENT JANG
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
February 4, 2009 at 9:20 PM EST
Consumers could collect $500 an hour if airlines leave them stranded on the tarmac and tickets would be advertised with “all-in” prices that include taxes and surcharges, according to a passenger bill of rights to be introduced by an New Democratic Party MP next week.
The threat of forcing carriers to pay hundreds of dollars to each passenger should vastly reduce the instances where planes are stuck in limbo at airports across Canada, Winnipeg MP Jim Maloway said in an interview Wednesday.
“Happy customers are what we all want here. We're making this bill friendly for consumers,” said Mr. Maloway, who plans to table his private member's bill on Tuesday.
Playing down skepticism from industry observers about the chances of the bill ever becoming legislation, he emphasized that MPs from all parties are frequent fliers who will recognize the need to beef up protections for travellers.
“Tarmac delays are getting out of hand,” he said, proposing that travellers kept on planes for more than 60 minutes after the doors close will be entitled to start receiving compensation at a rate of $500 an hour.
The National Airlines Council of Canada declined comment Wednesday.
Mr. Maloway also said consumers are frustrated by fares advertised by airlines that seem low at first glance, but then balloon when various taxes, airport improvement fees and other surcharges are added in.
Under the bill of rights, carriers face fines of $10,000 every time they advertise base airfares instead of the full amount, assuming Ottawa finds its way through a maze of federal and provincial rules.
In other proposals, airlines must make an announcement about delays, cancellations or diverted planes within 10 minutes of employees learning of any such information.
Carriers would be fined $1,000 for each case that they keep consumers in the dark too long, Mr. Maloway said.
“Airlines shouldn't sit on the information. They should get on the public address system and let people know what's going on.”
Hotel rooms and meal vouchers should be provided for flights that are postponed until the following day, and for daytime delays of greater than five hours, carriers should reimburse fares, he said.
Travellers whose flights are delayed for more than two hours would be entitled to meals and refreshments, as long as the snag isn't due to severe weather conditions.
Mr. Maloway wants airports and control towers to be the final arbiters of what constitutes weather delays, not the airlines.
As for lost luggage, there are existing guidelines in place to compensate consumers, but he is seeking to relieve some of stress by proposing that carriers inform passengers of the whereabouts of missing bags “on a timely basis,” or face a $100 fine for every tardy explanation.
Consumers who are forced to give up their seat on an overbooked flight could be compensated $500 by an airline, if the route is less than 1,500 kilometres. For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, the compensation would rise to $800 and flights longer than 3,500 kilometres would yield $1,200 for bumped travellers, said Mr. Maloway, who is modelling his bumping penalties after the European Union.
He praised Air Canada for taking new steps to reduce the disrupting effects of overbooking.
Under a program rolled out Wednesday, consumers could receive up to $57 for each one-way flight on Air Canada if they volunteer to be bumped to another departure time.
The carrier has teamed up with a travel company, Optiontown, to deliver a “flexible reward option” to Air Canada passengers, dangling cash to persuade them to willingly give up their seat with advance notice of at least 48 hours
Without a doubt they are on drugs!
MP proposes to give passengers cash for airline delays
Article Comments (11) BRENT JANG
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
February 4, 2009 at 9:20 PM EST
Consumers could collect $500 an hour if airlines leave them stranded on the tarmac and tickets would be advertised with “all-in” prices that include taxes and surcharges, according to a passenger bill of rights to be introduced by an New Democratic Party MP next week.
The threat of forcing carriers to pay hundreds of dollars to each passenger should vastly reduce the instances where planes are stuck in limbo at airports across Canada, Winnipeg MP Jim Maloway said in an interview Wednesday.
“Happy customers are what we all want here. We're making this bill friendly for consumers,” said Mr. Maloway, who plans to table his private member's bill on Tuesday.
Playing down skepticism from industry observers about the chances of the bill ever becoming legislation, he emphasized that MPs from all parties are frequent fliers who will recognize the need to beef up protections for travellers.
“Tarmac delays are getting out of hand,” he said, proposing that travellers kept on planes for more than 60 minutes after the doors close will be entitled to start receiving compensation at a rate of $500 an hour.
The National Airlines Council of Canada declined comment Wednesday.
Mr. Maloway also said consumers are frustrated by fares advertised by airlines that seem low at first glance, but then balloon when various taxes, airport improvement fees and other surcharges are added in.
Under the bill of rights, carriers face fines of $10,000 every time they advertise base airfares instead of the full amount, assuming Ottawa finds its way through a maze of federal and provincial rules.
In other proposals, airlines must make an announcement about delays, cancellations or diverted planes within 10 minutes of employees learning of any such information.
Carriers would be fined $1,000 for each case that they keep consumers in the dark too long, Mr. Maloway said.
“Airlines shouldn't sit on the information. They should get on the public address system and let people know what's going on.”
Hotel rooms and meal vouchers should be provided for flights that are postponed until the following day, and for daytime delays of greater than five hours, carriers should reimburse fares, he said.
Travellers whose flights are delayed for more than two hours would be entitled to meals and refreshments, as long as the snag isn't due to severe weather conditions.
Mr. Maloway wants airports and control towers to be the final arbiters of what constitutes weather delays, not the airlines.
As for lost luggage, there are existing guidelines in place to compensate consumers, but he is seeking to relieve some of stress by proposing that carriers inform passengers of the whereabouts of missing bags “on a timely basis,” or face a $100 fine for every tardy explanation.
Consumers who are forced to give up their seat on an overbooked flight could be compensated $500 by an airline, if the route is less than 1,500 kilometres. For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, the compensation would rise to $800 and flights longer than 3,500 kilometres would yield $1,200 for bumped travellers, said Mr. Maloway, who is modelling his bumping penalties after the European Union.
He praised Air Canada for taking new steps to reduce the disrupting effects of overbooking.
Under a program rolled out Wednesday, consumers could receive up to $57 for each one-way flight on Air Canada if they volunteer to be bumped to another departure time.
The carrier has teamed up with a travel company, Optiontown, to deliver a “flexible reward option” to Air Canada passengers, dangling cash to persuade them to willingly give up their seat with advance notice of at least 48 hours
Without a doubt they are on drugs!
