Listen to this article
Estimated 5 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Air Canada is test-flying a new dispute resolution process to address passenger complaints.
The airline will ask 500 randomly selected passengers who have claims pending with the Canadian Transport Agency’s (CTA) dispute process if they would voluntarily transfer their claim to a third-party arbitrator.
The goal of the pilot program is to resolve customer grievances in a way that is “faster, efficient, but most importantly fair and equitable,” said Air Canada’s chief legal officer, Marc Barbeau.
The CTA has a backlog of about 95,000 complaints — an amount that’s ballooned from 42,000 in 2023 when extra funding was announced to help clear the queue. Analysis has shown that the complaint process can stretch over two to three years.
The pilot project is funded by Air Canada, though the company said Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency were consulted about the design of the program.
The test arbitration process will be run by a subsidiary of U.K.-based CDRL Group — a non-profit that provides dispute resolution services in the U.K. and Europe, where Barbeau says this kind of process is more common.
The hope is to “explore a solution that … has yielded good results elsewhere, and that we think can yield some good results in Canada,” Barbeau said.
To speed up long compensation claim wait times, Air Canada is now testing a system using a third-party arbitrator to settle each case within 90 days. But some critics worry the arbitrator will too often rule in favor of the airline.
Under the test program, Air Canada says a decision on each case will be made within 90 days of receiving all information from the airline and the customer.
The decision would be binding for Air Canada, but not for consumers — during the pilot, they can decline the arbitrator’s results if they’re not happy and proceed with the usual CTA process instead without losing their place in the queue, the CTA told CBC News in an email.
Will it help?
Airline passenger Andrew Giblon says a better system is needed — he filed a claim related to an issue with Air Canada two months ago and said he’s heard nothing since then.
“That backlog of … cases is real. And I don’t think that they’re taking care of it very well,” Giblon told CBC News.
But he’s not sure the pilot project will do much to help — especially since the arbitrator has poor reviews on consumer review site Trustpilot.
“In principle, it’s a great idea. But in practice, it has to be done by a neutral body that’s accepted by both sides. And from what I’ve read, it’s accepted by Air Canada, but it’s not accepted by the public,” Giblon said.
Read More: Air Canada is testing a new program to resolve customer complaints. Will it
