Statistics 2015-2016

 Table of contents

Overview

Total rulings by Members

Note: Sometimes a single ruling is made that covers multiple cases. As well, some cases may result in multiple types of rulings.

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Orders 229 227 309 423 546
Decisions 405 438 458 518 467
Permits 374 355 485 481 635
Final letter decisions 25 32 25 18 19
Interim decisions 68 83 93 189 159
Total 1101 1135 1370 1629 1826

Disputes resolved by the Agency

Disputes resolved by facilitation

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Accessible 40 15 20 12 12
Air 716 706 519 370 293
Marine 0 0 0 0 0
Rail 3 24 6 31 2
Total 759 745 545 413 307

Disputes resolved by mediation

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Accessible 3 5 4 1 1
Air 20 19 7 4 0
Marine 0 0 2 0 0
Rail 6 7 10 3 5
Total 29 31 23 8 6

Disputes resolved by adjudication

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Accessible 3 5 8 17 6
Air 21 116 24 16 13
Marine 2 9 4 6 9
Rail 18 17 17 10 9
Total 44 147 53 49 37

Fostering compliance

Inspections and investigations

Agency enforcement officers conduct periodic inspections and targeted investigations to verify that service providers comply with the Canada Transportation Act, the Air Transportation Regulations and the Personnel Training for the Assistance of Persons with Disabilities Regulations.

Agency officers also regularly verify that any person or corporation that advertises air fares complies with all-inclusive air price advertising regulations.

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 248 296 356 294 291
Air carriers - periodic inspections 167 141 156 225 218
Passenger terminals - periodic inspections 27 34 23 29 32
Targeted investigations 45 82 75 40 41
Verification of air carriers' advertisements 9 39 102 n/a n/a

Contraventions

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 57 113 240 169 129
Monetary penalties 10 19 29 7 8
Informal warnings 4 21 96 123 108
Formal warnings 43 73 115 39 13

Note: Data updated on November 22, 2017.

Providing consumer protection for air passengers

Air travel complaints accepted for facilitation

The Agency can handle certain types of air travel complaints through facilitation.

The Agency's role is to facilitate a settlement that respects the carrier's legal obligations.

Note: These statistics only include complaints that were submitted to the Agency for facilitation – they do not reflect the total number of air travel complaints against air carriers. Many travellers resolve their complaints directly with the carrier.

Number of complaints for facilitation

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Carry-over from previous reporting period 236 283 137 54 51
New complaints 826 824 882 529 367
Total 1062 1107 1109 583 418

Outcome of complaint

If a traveller tried to resolve an issue with an air carrier and isn't satisfied with the result, a complaint can be submitted to the Agency for facilitation.

An Agency case officer will assess the issues in the complaint and gather more information, if necessary.

In some cases, the complaint may be transferred to mediation or adjudication for resolution, if appropriate.

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Resolved 716 706 519 370 293
Determined to be outside of the Agency's mandate 26 57 76 42 60
Determined to be about a carrier that had ceased operations 0 0 5 1 1
Withdrawn 24 72 43 23 8
Transferred to mediation 10 24 14 n/a n/a
Transferred to adjudication 14 16 87 16 3
Total 790 875 744 452 365

Number of complaints in progress at year end (March 31)

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Complaints in progress at year end 261 232 275 131 53

Number of complaints resolved (by carrier)

Note: Complaints against more than one air carrier are counted for each carrier involved in the facilitation process.

Complaints against an air carrier include complaints that were made against that carrier's subsidiaries and affiliates. For example, Air Canada includes complaints against Jazz Aviation, Sky Regional, Air Georgian, etc.

The "Other" category includes carriers that:

  • only have 1-2 complaints against them; and/or
  • ceased operations in the previous reporting periods.

Number of complaints against Canadian carriers

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Air Canada 449 428 434 233 162
Air Transat 22 34 26 18 23
CanJet 1 4 7 6 6
Porter Airlines 14 19 12 3 2
Sunwing 25 29 35 26 12
WestJet 36 34 25 14 8
Other 14 13 7 1 2
Total 561 561 546 301 215

Number of complaints against U.S. carriers

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
American Airlines 17 14 7 6 5
Delta 7 1 9 3 2
UnitedNote 1 36 38 31 21 16
US Airways 1 3 9 6 1
Other 1 6 1 2 5
Total 62 72 57 38 29

Number of complaints against European carriers

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Air France 5 13 13 9 13
AlitaliaNote 2 14 18 12 8 6
British Airways 10 13 13 9 13
Iberia 1 1 15 4 0
KLM 5 9 14 9 7
Lufthansa 15 20 6 13 10
Swiss International 4 3 74 51 0
Other 27 14 13 5 13
Total 81 91 160 108 62

Number of complaints against other foreign carriers

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Air India 5 11 3 5 2
Cathay Pacific 0 2 1 3 0
China Eastern 1 7 6 4 1
Etihad Airways 9 8 8 5 1
Jet Airways 12 11 14 9 8
Royal Air Maroc 11 9 8 4 5
Turkish Airlines 0 5 3 5 3
Other 58 44 62 27 36
Total 96 97 105 62 56

Issues raised in air travel complaints

The Agency is required by the Canada Transportation Act to provide an overview of the all air travel complaints it receives for facilitation – even if it's not an issue the Agency can help with. These issues are reported separately.

Learn more about the types of complaints the Agency can and cannot handle.

Note: Complaints often involve more than one issue. That's why the total number of issues is greater than the number of complaints.

Issues – all carriers

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Baggage 276 308 281 212 123
Carrier-operated loyalty programs 1 3 4 6 3
Denied boarding 55 50 82 55 23
Fares 14 11 105 63 10
Flight disruptions 595 635 568 281 226
Refusal to transport 114 122 170 64 53
Reservations 71 78 172 116 33
Ticketing 106 111 136 92 68
Other 7 4 69 7 13
Issues outside the Agency's jurisdiction 274 88 402 701 559

Issues within the Agency's jurisdiction – major Canadian carriers (2015-2016)

  Air Canada Air Transat Porter Sunwing WestJet Other
Baggage 139 7 0 5 14 9
Carrier-operated loyalty programs 0 0 0 0 0 0
Denied boarding 37 0 0 0 2 3
Flight disruptions 396 9 6 18 36 15
Refusal to transport 68 6 3 6 4 3
Reservations 25 2 2 1 2 0
Ticketing 64 7 1 2 2 1
Other 11 0 0 0 0 0
Total 740 31 12 32 60 31
  • Previous statistics on issues raised in complaints – major Canadian air carriers

    Issues within the Agency's jurisdiction – major Canadian carriers (2014-2015)

      Air Canada Air Transat Porter Sunwing WestJet Other
    Baggage 138 7 4 7 16 8
    Carrier-operated loyalty programs 2 0 0 0 0 0
    Denied boarding 27 0 0 0 2 0
    Flight disruptions 369 18 14 34 33 18
    Refusal to transport 61 12 5 0 4 4
    Reservations 38 6 0 1 0 0
    Ticketing 54 4 3 4 4 2
    OtherNote 3 5 0 0 0 0 0
    Total 694 47 26 46 59 32

    Issues within the Agency's jurisdiction – major Canadian carriers (2013-2014)

      Air Canada Air Transat Porter Sunwing WestJet Other
    Baggage 122 6 1 13 16 2
    Carrier-operated loyalty programs 2 0 0 0 0 0
    Denied boarding 71 0 0 0 0 2
    Flight disruptions 344 8 13 35 19 10
    Refusal to transport 93 10 0 3 5 2
    Reservations 38 2 1 1 3 1
    Ticketing 80 6 0 2 1 3
    Other 8 0 0 0 0 0
    Total 758 32 15 54 44 22

    Issues within the Agency's jurisdiction – major Canadian carriers (2012-2013)

      Air Canada Air Transat Sunwing WestJet Other
    Baggage 72 3 7 3 8
    Carrier-operated loyalty programs 2 0 0 1 0
    Denied boarding 43 0 0 0 0
    Flight disruptions 168 7 20 7 4
    Refusal to transport 31 4 3 3 2
    Reservations 23 4 3 3 2
    Ticketing 54 4 3 3 0
    Other 6 2 1 0 1
    Total 399 24 36 17 15

    Issues within the Agency's jurisdiction – major Canadian carriers (2011-2012)

      Air Canada Air Transat Sunwing WestJet Other
    Baggage 39 5 7 4 6
    Carrier-operated loyalty programs 0 0 0 0 0
    Denied boarding 18 0 0 0 0
    Flight disruptions 121 8 7 6 2
    Refusal to transport 25 5 2 0 1
    Reservations 8 4 2 1 2
    Ticketing 35 1 2 1 0
    Other 8 0 0 0 2
    Total 254 23 20 12 13

Other statistics by mode of transportation

Air carriers holding Agency licences

Note: the number of licences is the total on March 31 (the end of the fiscal year).

Total number of air carriers

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 1445 1456 1471 1481 1493
Canadian 630 648 665 679 692
U.S. 610 624 629 632 634
Other 205 184 177 170 167

Types of licences held by Canadian air carriers (2015-2016)

  Small aircraft Medium aircraft Large aircraft All cargo Total
Total 904 75 184 152 1335
Domestic 635 25 14 44 718
Non-scheduled international 261 22 14 28 325
Scheduled international 8 28 156 80 272
  • Previous statistics on licences held by Canadian air carriers

    Types of licences held by Canadian air carriers (2014-2015)

      Small aircraft Medium aircraft Large aircraft All cargo Total
    Total 923 75 185 153 1336
    Domestic 644 25 16 46 731
    Non-scheduled international 271 22 16 29 338
    Scheduled international 8 28 153 78 267

    Types of licences held by Canadian air carriers (2013-2014)

      Small aircraft Medium aircraft Large aircraft All cargo Total
    Total 937 73 178 156 1344
    Domestic 655 24 15 46 740
    Non-scheduled international 273 21 15 29 338
    Scheduled international 9 28 148 81 266

    Types of licences held by Canadian air carriers (2012-2013)

      Small aircraft Medium aircraft Large aircraft All cargo Total
    Total 952 69 179 159 1359
    Domestic 666 22 16 46 750
    Non-scheduled international 277 20 16 30 343
    Scheduled international 9 27 147 83 266

    Types of licences held by Canadian air carriers (2011-2012)

      Small aircraft Medium aircraft Large aircraft All cargo Total
    Total 974 64 150 152 1340
    Domestic 683 21 14 49 767
    Non-scheduled international 280 19 14 29 342
    Scheduled international 11 24 122 74 231

Types of licences held by U.S. and other foreign air carriers (2015-2016)

  U.S. Other
Total 641 263
Non-scheduled international 601 160
Scheduled international 40 103
  • Previous statistics on licences held by U.S. and other foreign carriers

    Types of licences held by U.S. and other foreign air carriers (2014-2015)

      U.S. Other
    Total 653 240
    Non-scheduled international 613 144
    Scheduled international 40 96

    Types of licences held by U.S. and other foreign air carriers (2013-2014)

      U.S. Other
    Total 660 235
    Non-scheduled international 618 143
    Scheduled international 42 92

    Types of licences held by U.S. and other foreign air carriers (2012-2013)

      U.S. Other
    Total 665 225
    Non-scheduled international 620 135
    Scheduled international 45 90

    Types of licences held by U.S. and other foreign air carriers (2011-2012)

      U.S. Other
    Total 669 224
    Non-scheduled international 622 133
    Scheduled international 47 91

Air licensing activities

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 700 679 790 845 873
New licences 111 116 108 138 112
Amendment of licences initiated by the applicant 65 52 141 79 73
Amendment of licences initiated by the Agency 10 7 9 63 10
Suspensions initiated by the applicant 28 60 71 97 110
Suspensions initiated by the Agency 159 127 165 148 187
Exemptions/rulings 151 137 123 119 144
Reinstatements 83 81 81 92 118
Cancellations 93 99 92 109 119

Air charter permits

Number of permits issued

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 373 365 481 475 635
Passenger non-resaleable entity charters 178 158 179 150 155
Cargo non-resaleable entity charters 113 125 141 104 137
Passengers resaleable 82 82 161 221 343

Other air charter permit activities

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Exemptions granted to the charter regulations 594 552 592 548 666
Amendments to charter permits 30 31 27 50 49

Air charter flight notifications

Air charter flight notifications for Canada – U.S. charters

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 1768 1624 1678 1593 1707
Canadian originating (non-resaleable passenger) 699 673 706 549 664
Canadian originating (cargo) 31 33 47 56 38
U.S. originating (passenger) 798 675 719 611 733
U.S. originating (cargo) 240 243 206 377 272

Air charter flight notifications for Canada – Foreign charters

Note: Note: As of April 1, 2014, the Agency has granted certain carriers with an exemption to operate last minute air ambulance and entity cargo charter flights following the Agency's elimination of its after-hours service.

These flights were processed using this new approach and would have ordinarily been captured under air charter permits issued.

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 141 192 209 122 206
Foreign originating (passenger) 51 88 85 70 90
Foreign originating (cargo) 87 95 124 52 116
Canadian originating passenger non-resaleable entity charters 2 5 n/a n/a n/a
Canadian originating cargo non-resaleable entity charters 1 4 n/a n/a n/a

Railway infrastructure and construction

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Railway crossing agreements filedNote 4 84 3 157 79 133
Approvals - railway line locations and construction of railway crossings 4 1 1 0 4
Notices of railway discontinuance received 2 11 0 0 2
Net salvage value determinationsNote 5 0 0 1 0 0
New, modified or cancelled certificates of fitness 10 5 7 5 1

Marine coasting trade applications

Applications processed

  2015-2016 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012
Total 87 96 111 95 101
Approved 80 89 98 87 87
Denied 0 2 3 3 6
Withdrawn 7 5 10 5 8
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