Private members Bill C-310: An Act to Provide Certain Rights to Air Passengers was first introduced by James Maloway (NDP-Manitoba) in 2009. The bill’s enactment would have placed obligations on air carriers to provide compensation and other assistance to passengers in certain cases involving flight cancelations or delays.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been an active voice opposing the adoption of bill C-310 and is pleased that the bill has been defeated.

The issue
While the Canadian Chamber of Commerce believes that it is in the best interests of air travellers and the airline industry to have a formal policy protecting passenger rights, bill C-310 does not effectively safeguard the interests of travellers or the aviation industry. Rather, it would have imposed additional costs on the airlines, and would have compromised passenger safety.

If passed, bill C-310 would have levied punitive fines on airlines for numerous service issues which are often the result of factors outside of their control. The frustration of passengers forced to endure cancellations or delays is easily understandable, yet the penalties included in bill C-310 would have compromised passenger safety by encouraging pilots to make riskier decisions about whether or not to fly. In addition to safety concerns, the penalties would also have increased the cost of air travel.

What we got for you
On Wednesday May 5, 2010 the House of Commons voted against Bill C-310: An Act to Provide Certain Rights to Air Passengers.

How does this benefit me?
Bill C-310 would have introduced fines for delays or cancellations of flights and would have placed significant operational and financial burdens on air carriers, costs which consumers would have assumed. Bill C-310 may have also placed the lives of airline crew and passengers at risk because, to avoid paying penalties for flight delays, airlines may have encouraged pilots to make hasty decisions about whether to fly in questionable conditions. The defeat of bill C-310 is a win for air travellers and the airline industry.