Canadians still waiting for airline passenger rights legislation

Recent incidents have renewed interest in planned federal legislation to designate airline passenger rights.

Earlier this month 69-year-old man was physically dragged from an overbooked flight in the U.S., and a P.E.I. family was recently shocked to discover their 10-year-old son had been bumped off a flight.

• 'Should not have occurred' says airline: Family offered compensation after 10-year-old bumped from flight

• What rights do passengers have when airlines overbook?

The process of preparing a federal airline passenger bill of rights has been underway for years, and is expected to make an appearance in Parliament this spring. Similar legislation has been in place in the U.S. since 2002 and in Europe since 2005.

The CAA has been involved in consultations on the legislation and Gary Howard, VP of communications for CAA Atlantic, said his group is looking for standards for dealing with issues such as bumping, lost luggage, and delays.

"What we're trying to get is set standards with clarity and reasonable amounts of compensation," said Howard.

"Our research shows 90 per cent of Canadians want improved passenger rights."

Brett Doyle, whose son was bumped from his family's March break vacation flight, said he is pleased to see some light being shed on the issue, because he expects that is the only chance for change.

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