What you should know if you were affected by the cancelled Montreal LEVEL flights

July 17, 2018 - Gatineau, QC - Canadian Transportation Agency

The CTA is aware of LEVEL flight cancellations on July 14 and 16, which affect passengers attempting to depart Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport for Europe. The CTA is currently looking into the matter and will update its website with any new developments.

In the meantime, if passengers are unable to reach LEVEL or cannot resolve the matter with them, passengers can file a complaint with the CTA.

Affected passengers should know that airline policies related to flight irregularities, including cancellations, are listed in their tariffs (conditions of transport). In these cases, the flights sold through LEVEL were either operated by Iberia or OpenSkies and their cancellation provisions are listed in their conditions of carriage. In order to determine which airline tariff applies, passengers should refer to their travel itinerary or electronic ticket. If the carrier code is LV (LEVEL/Open Skies) then the Open Skies tariff applies. If the code on the documents is IB (Iberia Airlines) then the tariff of Iberia is to be applied.

CTA's complaint role

If passengers feel that an airline has not applied its tariff, or if they wish to contest the conditions contained in its tariff because they are unclear, unreasonable or discriminatory, they can file a complaint. The CTA will try to resolve the matter quickly and informally through facilitation or mediation. If facilitation and mediation fail, the complaint may then go through dispute resolution, a court-like process where a decision will be rendered based on the elements of proof submitted. If an airline has not adhered to its tariff the CTA may order it to do so and could possibly order it to reward personal expenses incurred by the complainants or take corrective measure.

Upon receipt of a complaint or for international services, by its own initiative, the CTA ensures that airlines' conditions of carriage for flights to, from and within Canada are just, reasonable and non discriminatory. The CTA also ensures that airlines apply their terms and conditions of carriage in their tariff and that passengers and airlines respect their respective responsibilities.