Air passengers need a strong champion

It’s time to bring back complaints commissioner, David Western says.

With great interest, I read about the recent push for an airline travellers’ bill of rights. While not doubting the desirability of such an initiative, I point out that the issue of air travellers’ rights is nothing new.

In 1999-2000, faced with the merger of Canadian Airlines and Air Canada and public concern about how the newly enlarged Air Canada would deal with customers, Parliament, by all-party agreement, created the very successful position of air travel complaints commissioner.

In addition to developing and implementing the air travellers’ complaints program, I had the privilege of serving as the director of air travel complaints under both Bruce Hood, the first air travel complaints commissioner, and his successor, Liette Lacroix-Kenniff. These two commissioners, by virtue of their drive, experience, passion and personalities — combined with well-publicized annual reports to Parliament — were instrumental in changing the customerrelations approaches of not only our major Canadian air carriers but of all international air carriers serving Canada.

Through the air travel complaints program, we were able to successfully resolve the vast majority of the thousands of complaints received from travellers who had been unable to resolve their valid complaints with their carrier. While every effort was made to resolve valid complaints in an informal manner, as a member of the Canadian Transportation Agency, the air travel complaints commissioner also had access to a wide range of compliance sanctions that could be imposed as required.

The program was well publicized, consumer friendly, easy to use and readily accessible. The commissioners’ annual air travel complaints reports were eagerly anticipated, and widely read and reported on. As a result, we saw a real change in the way air carriers dealt with customer complaints.

Unfortunately, when Liette Lacroix-Kenniff’s term of office ended, the decision was made not to name another air travel complaints commissioner. Rather, the Canadian Transportation Agency was tasked with continuing to administer the program.

However, the lack of a prominent public face to the program, combined with budget cuts and the lack of a dedicated and well-publicized annual report, meant that the program gradually faded from public view and, despite the best and ongoing efforts of the CTA’s air travel complaints staff, lost its ability to positively influence air carrier customer relations.

A similar fate will await an air travellers’ bill of rights unless it is backed up by an inexpensive and easily accessed complaint resolution process, the results of which are well-publicized. Or to put it another way: unless the position of air travel complaints commissioner is reinstated.