Ottawa Delays Airline Fee, $30M Passenger Complaint Cost Stagnates

Parliament directed the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) in 2023 to levy a $790 fee on airlines to help cover the roughly $30 million a year that taxpayers currently fund to process passenger complaints. Internal documents released by CBC’s Go Public show that Transport Canada and successive transport ministers have repeatedly intervened to delay the fee’s implementation. The CTA has identified a backlog of over 88,000 complaints, projected to rise to 150,000 by 2028, while airlines and industry groups have held nearly 150 meetings with officials since the 2023 mandate. In October 2024, Minister Anita Anand requested a postponement, and the current minister, Chrystia Freeland, has yet to act. The fee remains absent, leaving Canadians without recourse.