The Canadian Transportation Agency Releases a New Tariff Repository to Help Air Travellers Make Informed Choices

OTTAWA, Sept. 11, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Transportation Agency released today a tariff repository to help travellers familiarize themselves with air carriers' terms and conditions of carriage.

The repository provides a "one-window" direct access to major airlines' websites where airline tariffs can be found, in turn, enabling passengers to read about their rights and responsibilities when travelling. Likewise, air carriers can use the repository to easily compare their tariff provisions with those of other carriers. The Tariff Repository can be accessed on the Agency's website at http://www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/air-carrier-tariffs-posted-websites.

A tariff is the contract between an air carrier and its passengers. It covers the passengers' rights and obligations, as well as the air carrier's rights and its responsibilities towards the passenger. Carriers must respect their tariff at all times. Carriers are also required by law to make their tariff available upon request, at their business offices, and on their web sites used for selling air transportation.

The Agency enforces the application of tariffs and may hear complaints from passengers that a tariff provision is not being applied, or is unreasonable or unjust. Canadian tariff requirements are detailed in the Canada Transportation Act and the Air Transportation Regulations.

"Tariffs are key provisions with respect to air passenger rights in Canada," said Geoff Hare, Chair and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency. "Consumers have the right to access a carrier's tariff, know what a carrier's terms and conditions of carriage are and what a carrier's obligations to them are when they travel by air."

The Agency offers a variety of tools and publications to ensure that passengers get easily accessible travel information. It created a Sample Tariff aimed at helping airlines use clear, understandable language in their contracts of carriage with passengers. Air travellers can also consult Fly Smart and Take Charge of Your Travel for more travel information or view recent Agency decisions that clarify passenger rights and remedies by consulting the Agency news release.

The Canadian Transportation Agency helps protect consumers by:

• resolving disputes between members of the public and air carriers through facilitation, mediation or formal adjudication;
• working with air carriers and members of the public to ensure that they are aware of their rights and obligations;
• ensuring air carrier tariffs are compliant with Canadian legislation and regulations; and
• working with the industry to remove obstacles to transportation to the mobility of persons with disabilities by resolving individual complaints and by developing codes of practice, standards and regulations for accessible transportation.

For further information about the Agency's services for air travellers, please visit: www.otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/air-travellers.

About the Canadian Transportation Agency

The Canadian Transportation Agency is an independent administrative body of the Government of Canada. It performs two key functions within the federal transportation system:

• As a quasi-judicial tribunal, the Agency, informally and through formal adjudication, resolves a range of commercial and consumer transportation-related disputes, including accessibility issues for persons with disabilities. It operates like a court when adjudicating disputes.
• As an economic regulator, the Agency makes determinations and issues authorities, licences and permits to transportation carriers under federal jurisdiction.

SOURCE: Canadian Transportation Agency

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