Porter Airlines ordered to change compensation policy
Posted Jan 17, 2013 11:34:00 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A complaint from a Halifax passengers’ rights advocate has resulted in Porter Airlines being ordered to change its terms and conditions.
Right now, the airline’s tarriff exempts it from having to compensate passengers for missed connections and schedule changes.
A ruling from the Canadian Transportation Agency came down Wednesday night, saying that the language used in Porter’s tarriff provision contravenes the Montreal Convention, which protects international airline passengers.
The ruling upholds a complaint from Halifax mathematician and frequent flyer Gabor Lukacs.
Poring over the complicated tarriffs of airlines has become a hobby for him.
“The tarriffs of airlines are very lengthy documents and in spite of the agency’s efforts to review those there are things that kind of fall between the cracks. It takes somebody, I guess, with the head of a mathematician to say that things don’t add up,” said Lukacs.
It all started in 2004, when Lukacs had a very-delayed international flight.
He says what he’s learned is that consumers have to do their own research, regardless of what the airlines tell you is their policy.
“The reality however is that many airlines have what can best be described as ‘weasel’ language in their terms and conditions. Those conditions are not enforceable, but they are very good at sending passengers who have complaints away.”
Porter Airlines has 20 days to make changes to its tarriff.
Lukacs says his next target is British Airways and its denied-boarding compensation policy.
It surrounds passenger compensation rights when a flight is oversold and no volunteers come forward to surrender their seats. The air carrier may then deny boarding to passengers against their will.
