Windsor West MP Brian Masse is not impressed with the latest announcement regarding a bill of rights for passengers.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau has announced more consultations will take place on the bill that would govern how passengers are compensated for issues such as being bumped from overbooked flights or facing long delays.
Masse calls it absurd and believes there should be at least a "baseline protection" in place for passengers now.
He told AM800's The Afternoon News, this bill of rights is taking too long.
"He {Garneau} is going for more consultation and then it is going to be scrubbed by the industry before a final decision is made, not until the end of 2019 so basically we are just going to circle around for almost another year," said Masse.
Windsor West Member of Parliament Brian Masse (Photo courtesy of windsorwestndp.org)
The Canadian Transportation Agency is releasing the draft regulations for public comment this weekend and it hopes to implement the new rules by next summer.
The regulations would also force airlines to automatically seat children under age 14 next to their parents rather than require them to pay an additional fee to select their own seats.
Masse believes the time for input is over.
"How much consultation do you need to know that you should be able to sit next to your child and be able to fly domestically or internationally, who needs to be consulted on that? It's absurd," he said.
Masse also argues this bill of rights shouldn't be at passenger's expense either.
"There is no cap or protection from the airline industry from raising prices and actually using it as a model to actually make money," he said. "They could even raise their prices now or in the future and there is no accountability to ensure that there is actually going to be protection for consumers."
Minister Garneau insists airlines won't put safety in jeopardy because of the bill.
Scott Streiner, the chairman of the Canadian Transportation Agency, says a key aspect of the rules is an expectation that airlines clearly communicate with passengers about the status of their flight.
The rules making up the air passenger bill of rights unveiled Monday lays out the minimum standards airlines will have to follow for situations in their control, lest they face a $25,0000 fine.