Canadians waiting for airline complaint decisions could see faster resolutions under a new federal plan announced in the Spring Economic Update 2026. The government is taking action to address a growing backlog at the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which currently holds more than 97,000 unresolved Air Passenger Protection complaints.
According to legal tech company Courtready, passengers are waiting an average of 987 days—nearly three years—for a decision on their complaint about an airline or flight, based on 38,104 outcomes handled by the CTA between September 2023 and September 2025. The delays have created what the company describes as "growing public frustration over lengthy delays".
Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon acknowledged the problem, stating that Canadians are left waiting as "complaints pile up and accountability falls short." He pledged: "That ends now. We are clearing the backlog, strengthening enforcement, clarifying the regulations and ensuring airlines meet their obligations to passengers".
The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), established in 2019, address complaints involving delays, cancellations, baggage issues, denied boarding, refusal to transport, and requests for refunds and compensation. To accelerate the resolution process, the government said it will follow the example of the United Kingdom and the European Union by working with a third-party company to settle complaints.
Additional measures include removing the obligation for passengers to maintain confidentiality in the complaints process to increase transparency. The government will also authorize the CTA to charge airlines fines of up to $1 million for consistently violating APPR rules. Officials are also developing a simpler and more effective regulatory system to ensure passengers are compensated fairly and quickly.
Air Canada has indicated it is also working to speed up the complaints process.
