Frustrated flyer questions passenger’s ‘bill of rights’
City man worried proposed legislation won’t help those whose luggage is delayed
Jerrod Lacelle was looking forward to spending 10 days scuba diving in the warm waters off Antigua and Barbuda late last year, but the sinking feeling he experienced upon arrival was not the one he paid for — or wanted.
Instead of exploring vibrant coral reefs, the Saskatoon man spent the first days of his holiday trying desperately to locate his bag, which contained around $7,000 worth of diving equipment, after it failed to arrive in the Caribbean country.
“No real support, no nothing,” Lacelle said of Air Canada’s response to inquiries about the missing bag.
His gear arrived eventually, but not before he missed four days of scuba diving, Lacelle said. After months of negotiations, Air Canada offered him $403.68 for basic necessities, plus a discounted flight.
According to emails provided to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, the airline declined to resolve the complaint through a voluntary mediation process through the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), the federal transport regulator.
“We believe the goodwill compensation we have offered is fair, and we’re unable to offer additional compensation for this delay,” an Air Canada representative wrote in an email to Lacelle shortly after his return to Canada.
In an email on Tuesday, Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah said Lacelle’s bag arrived two days after he did, and that the $403.68 covered the cost of two taxis, toiletries, some clothes and a cellphone sim card.
“We also extended a 25 (per cent) discount for his next flight in recognition of the inconvenience related to his delayed bag. While we do not have public stats for baggage handling, we can say that our claims fall well within industry norms.”
Lacelle said the airline’s response is insufficient, and he plans to continue seeking compensation. He said a new federal bill designed to protect travellers does not appear to offer much for people in his situation.
“This legislation is going to help with lost bags, but maybe not delayed bags. In my scenario, what just happened to me, it really wouldn’t help me out,” Lacelle said of Bill C-49, which has been described as a “bill of rights” for airline passengers. Transport Minister Marc Garneau introduced the bill last month, after several incidents involving U.S. airlines, including a scandal that erupted after a passenger was dragged off an overbooked United flight after refusing to surrender his seat.
The bill will lead to the CTA establishing new compensation standards for occurrences such as denied boarding, lost or damaged baggage and delayed or cancelled flights, according to Transport Canada.
“New measures would establish clear standards of treatment for air travellers in common situations, as well as financial compensation under certain circumstances,” Transport Canada spokeswoman Natasha Gauthier said in an email.
Air Canada welcomes the establishment of new regulations and believes “it is in the interest of all parties to create a more predictable and fair system that applies to all airlines operating in Canada, which is not currently the case,” Mah said.
Lacelle, meanwhile, said he knows that while his situation is less serious than what some less fortunate travellers experience, that doesn’t diminish his frustration.
“I don’t think it’s reasonable for them to just wash their hands of this thing and say, ‘We’ll cover you for a pair of shorts and a shirt, and who cares that you couldn’t do what you wanted to do on your trip.’ ”