Order No. 2014-A-158
Decision No. 144-A-2014 dated April 16, 2014 is varied.
In Decision No. 144-A-2014, the Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) established an approach to interline baggage rules that air carriers should apply for tickets purchased when participating in an interline itinerary issued on a single ticket, where the origin or ultimate destination is a point in Canada regardless of stopovers. The Agency stated that it expects carriers to apply this approach for transportation to, from and within Canada for tickets purchased on and after October 1, 2014.
Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), Airlines for America (A4A), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) filed submissions related to the implementation date set out in Decision No. 144-A-2014.
The submissions indicate that planning and work on carrier systems could not begin until the Agency’s final decision was issued. Further, significant development is required to overcome fundamental changes to carriers’ systems in order to implement the Agency’s approach to interline baggage rules. According to the submissions, these stakeholders would like the automation of the new approach to be seamless before introducing passengers to the new system.
The Agency notes that industry stakeholders could not accurately assess and determine the scope and magnitude of the system changes required to reflect the Agency’s interline baggage rules approach before its decision was issued.
Section 32 of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C., 1996, c. 10, as amended (CTA) states that the Agency may review, rescind or vary any decision or order made by it or may re-hear any application before deciding it if, in the opinion of the Agency, since the decision or order or the hearing of the application, there has been a change in the facts or circumstances pertaining to the decision, order or hearing.
In this case, the Agency finds that there has been a change in the facts or circumstances pertaining to Decision No. 144-A-2014 since it was issued.
Accordingly, the Agency, pursuant to section 32 of the CTA, varies Decision No. 144-A-2014 by amending the implementation date to April 1, 2015. The Interline Baggage Rules for Canada: Interpretation Note will be updated to reflect the new implementation date.
The Agency reminds carriers that they are expected to have tariffs in place consistent with the new approach to interline baggage rules by April 1, 2015 at the latest. The Agency will not consider further extensions to the implementation of the new approach.
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