Airports ban ads from passenger aid company
Compensation firm denied bid to market at Pearson
Arumble between Canadian airports and a Quebec-based corporation called Flight Claim is taking off this week, after Flight Claim was barred from advertising in Pearson International Airport and had their ads abruptly removed from Pierre Elliott Trudeau International.
Flight Claim — which was founded in July last year — aids passengers in securing compensation for delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights. The company takes 25 per cent of the payout in successful cases. Until Friday, it had been running advertisements in the baggageclaim area of the Montreal airport and was seeking to branch out into Toronto.
“We find that it’s the airport’s responsibility to inform the passenger of their rights. Or at least not to stop us,” Jacob Charbonneau, the company’s general manager, told the Star on Thursday.
Flight Claim’s bid for a marketing spot in Toronto began on March 23, when Charbonneau approached Astral Media — the manager of ad space at Pearson.
A brief phone call took place between Astral Media and Flight Claim, where Charbonneau said he was asked for details about the business — namely, whether or not they planned to sue airlines.
“(It) is a possibility, because we’re there to defend the passenger rights,” Charbonneau said in an interview. Shortly after, Flight Claim was denied its bid to advertise.
“We were a bit surprised that we couldn’t at Pearson, since it’s a public space,” Charbonneau said.
Though he is correct that the federal airport is currently run by not-forprofit authorities, the Star reported in March that the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) is now open to letting private investors take a stake in Pearson.
After some thought, Flight Claim decided to appeal its case. On June 8, Charbonneau penned a letter to the GTAA, the operator of Pearson. “The purpose of this letter is to seek a review of the GTAA’s decision denying Flight Claim Canada the right to advertise at Toronto Airport,” he wrote.
“We ask to meet with the Board of Directors of Toronto Airport to present our company and our services, so that GTAA can review its position regarding our request to post advertising at Toronto Airport.”
This Tuesday, Charbonneau met with the GTAA. But the decision was upheld. In a statement emailed to the Star, the GTAA wrote that “at this time, the new passenger bill of rights is currently being debated at second reading in the Canadian House of Parliament, which will influence the final outcome of those regulations.
“Before enabling businesses to profit by advertising to travellers, the GTAA has a responsibility to ensure that there is clarity for its passengers about what these new rules mean and how they can be protected by them.”
When the Star contacted Aéroports de Montréal to inquire why the advertisements were allowed in their buildings, its media relations office responded that any Flight Claim advertisements have been cancelled.
“Since you brought it up, we looked at the video and it did not meet our criteria for advertising at the airport,” it said. “It’s mostly our values and our politics.” Further clarification was denied.
When informed of the change, Charbonneau was caught off guard.
Now, he plans to take the case to Transport Minister Marc Garneau. The company has retained the assistance of the PR firm Media Profile, and vice-president Adrienne Simic explained the company’s stance.
“When they attempted to secure advertising the first time, they were told that the airlines are (Pearson’s) biggest clients . . . they don’t want to take sides.
“But, the business feels that by not allowing them to advertise, they are.”