Canada's 'broken' travel complaint process is 'unacceptable': aviation expert
CTV
Canada's process for handling travel complaints is 'broken,' one aviation expert says, as passengers struggled to get to their destinations this holiday season amid widespread delays and cancellations.
Canada's process for handling travel complaints is "broken," one aviation expert says, as passengers struggled to get to their destinations this holiday season amid widespread delays and cancellations.
"It is not built for speed, it is not built for efficiency," John Gradek, head of McGill University's aviation management program, told CTV's Your Morning on Thursday.
"It is built for thoroughness and is built to make sure that the regulatory regimes are put in place."
As it stands, the Canadian Transportation Agency says it could take up to 18 months to have an air travel complaint reviewed.
"We need another body that can expedite these complaints, that passengers who have complaints can get an answer very quickly," Gradek said.
"Right now, waiting two years, which is what likely will happen to get your hearing on a complaint, just is not acceptable."
A severe winter storm in Canada left holiday travellers stranded on Via Rail trains and at airports abroad, disrupting vacations and forcing passengers to miss Christmas back home.
