Canadians could get faster airline complaint compensation under new rules
Travellers in Canada dealing with unresolved airline complaints could soon see faster resolutions under a new federal plan.
As the backlog continues to grow, the government says it’s working to speed up decisions on airline and flight complaints involving airlines in Canada. On May 1, the government addressed the issue in its Spring Economic Update 2026.
According to Transport Canada, the backlog of unresolved passenger complaints currently stands at more than 97,000 Air Passenger Protection complaints before the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).
“This is unacceptable, and the government is taking action,” reads the statement.
Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon said that Canadians are left waiting as “complaints pile up and accountability falls short.”
“That ends now. We are clearing the backlog, strengthening enforcement, clarifying the regulations and ensuring airlines meet their obligations to passengers,” he said.
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The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) were created in 2019, and common issues include delays and cancellations, baggage issues, bumping (denied boarding), refusal to transport, or requests for refunds and compensation.
So, exactly how long do Canadians have to wait to resolve issues?
According to legal tech company Courtready, based on 38,104 air passenger complaint outcomes handled by the CTA between September 2023 and September 2025, passengers wait an average of 987 days, or nearly three years, for a decision on their complaint about an airline or flight.
The company says this underscores “growing public frustration over lengthy delays.”
To speed up the process, the government said it will follow the United Kingdom and the European Union’s example by working with a third-party company to settle complaints.
The government will also emphasize transparency by removing the obligation for passengers to maintain confidentiality in the complaints process.
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In addition, it will authorize the CTA to charge airlines fines of up to $1 million for consistently violating rules outlined in the APPR. The government is also working on a simpler and more effective regulatory system so passengers are compensated fairly and quickly.
Air Canada says it’s also working to speed up the complaints process. In April, the airline announced that it’s testing a pilot program that invites randomly selected customers to transfer information from their outstanding CTA claims to an independent and impartial third-party Canada Aviation Dispute Resolution (CADR) provider that will address their claims within 90 days of receiving information from both parties.
MacKinnon stated, “Canadians deserve a system that works, and we are delivering it.”
With files from Isabelle Docto