Travelers check the arrival and departure screen at Montreal’s Trudeau Airport on Friday, September 13, 2024. The Canadian Press
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) is facing a major crisis. It’s dealing with a huge pile of over 85,000 air travel complaints. These include issues like delayed flights, cancelled trips, and fights over refunds.
System Not Helping Passengers
Gabor Lukacs, who started Air Passenger Rights, says passengers are getting no real help.
“It is going to take them more than two years to deal with just a current backlog,” he said.
The CTA started its complaint resolution office in 2023. But the number of unhappy passengers keeps rising. Lukacs says the whole process is too slow and confusing.
Airlines Avoid Paying Compensation
Lukacs says airlines often tell customers that problems were “beyond their control.” This way, they avoid paying anything.
“They tell passengers to file a complaint instead,” he said.
The CTA has the power to fine airlines that break the rules. But Lukacs says they almost never do.
New Fee Plan Upsets Airlines
To speed things up, the CTA wants to charge airlines $790 per complaint. But airlines aren’t happy.
One major airline said in a statement,
“Charging airlines $790 for each complaint, including the vast majority when we are found to have applied the legislation correctly, would not be balanced nor an equitable way of addressing the issue.”
The airline says it always works with the CTA and responds quickly.
Another airline said this proposal will hurt passengers, not help them.
“Imposing additional costs on Canadian travellers… is very concerning—particularly during an affordability crisis in Canada," the company said.
They believe the CTA should focus on fixing its own system and clearing up the complaint delays first.
Many Complaints Closed, Few Answers
The CTA says that in 2024–2025, it managed to close 33,600 complaints. But it hasn’t shared how many of those decisions helped the passenger.
Lukacs isn’t convinced the agency is being honest.
Taking CTA to Court
Lukacs has now taken legal action. He says the CTA is not being open with the public.
“Not only does it take more than two years, they’re also trying to gag passengers who have a case before them,” he said.
He believes people should try small claims court instead of waiting years for the CTA to act.
