Input sought on air fee rule
REGINA — New rules requiring airlines to display all fees and taxes in their advertised prices are being developed and the Canadian Transportation Agency wants feedback from Saskatchewan residents, a spokesperson said Friday.
“We really want to make sure that people from Saskatchewan have the opportunity to have their say,” said Chantal Laflamme, manager of issues and outreach for the CTA. “It would be great if we could encourage them to participate. In Saskatchewan, they’re often dealing with longer flights and might not have as many airlines, so I think it’s even more important for them to tell us what they want to see.”
The consultation is on draft regulations announced in the middle of December by the federal government. The CTA is proceeding with developing the regulations, which will require air carriers to include all fees, charges and taxes in their advertised prices, across all media, including the Internet.
The CTA launched the public consultations to seek broad input from Canadians, Laflamme said. The intent of the regulations is to ensure greater transparency and allow consumers to easily determine the total price of an air service in order to make an informed choice.
“This really for everybody,” she said. “Pretty much everybody travels. A lot of people have tried booking something online and had surprises or sticker shock. We really want to hear from everybody, to tell us what they think the regulations should include.
“How often are they asked what they want?” Laflamme continued, about consumers in general. “This is their chance to take part in the regulatory process, so we really hope that everybody takes the time to post an idea or comment and tell us what they would like to see in those regulations.”
The consultation period ends on Feb. 26. Once all the feedback is considered, the CTA will draft the proposed legislation. If and after the various procedural requirements — which also involve more opportunity for Canadians to review and comment on the regulations — are met, the legislation could go into effect late in 2012 or early in 2013.
For more information about the proposed new regulations or to participate by providing input into the process, go online to the CTA’S website for the consultation (airservicesadvertising.ca).
Though a small number of people have been participating in the online consultation processes available, “we want way more” activity on the website, Laflamme said. She noted while the government is consulting with stakeholders, too, feedback from individual Canadians is particularly important.