Passengers who face flight delays or are denied a plane seat due to overbooking will be eligible for compensation under the federal government’s new proposed regulations for air travel.
The so-called passenger bill of rights, as proposed, spells out a minimum rebate of $400 for a three-hour delay to a large commercial flight, rising to $1,000 for a delay of nine hours or more.
Passengers bumped from flights due to overbooking or scheduled aircraft maintenance can apply for $900 of compensation, with $2,400 on offer for passengers delayed nine hours or more due to those issues.
Compensation would not be on offer in cases where delays are caused due to unforeseen events such as inclement weather, emergency maintenance, airport operation issues and medical emergencies.
The proposed guidelines were detailed Monday by Transport Minister Marc Garneau at an event at Ottawa International Airport.
They are subject to public consultation until Feb. 20, 2019. Garneau expects finalized regulations to be developed by next spring and come into effect next summer.