Guide
Flight delay compensation in Canada: what the APPR requires
Unlike the United States, Canada sets fixed cash compensation for some flight delays and cancellations. The rules are in the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), enforced by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), and they apply to flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights. Whether you are owed money turns on two things: how much control the airline had over the disruption, and how late you reached your destination.
On this page
The three categories that decide everything
The APPR sorts every delay, cancellation and denied boarding into one of three groups, and your entitlements follow from the group:
| Category | Examples | You may be entitled to |
|---|---|---|
| Within the airline's control | Scheduled maintenance, choice of aircraft, staffing | Care, rebooking or refund, and compensation |
| Within control but required for safety | Unplanned events the airline controls that pose a safety risk | Care, rebooking or refund; no compensation |
| Outside the airline's control | Severe weather, air traffic control instructions, security threats, airport problems, medical emergencies, wildlife strikes, some labour disruptions | Rebooking or refund; no compensation |
The regulations define "required for safety purposes" narrowly and exclude problems found during scheduled maintenance carried out to meet legal requirements. A knock-on delay caused by an earlier disruption falls into the same category as the original problem only if the airline took all reasonable measures to limit its impact. The airline must tell you the reason for the disruption, what compensation you may be entitled to and how to complain.
The compensation amounts
Compensation is due only when the disruption was within the airline's control and not required for safety, you were told about it 14 days or less before departure, and you reached your final destination three hours or more late. The amount depends on the length of the arrival delay and on the size of the airline. Amounts are in Canadian dollars.
| Arrival delay at destination | Large airline | Small airline |
|---|---|---|
| 3 hours or more, under 6 hours | $400 | $125 |
| 6 hours or more, under 9 hours | $700 | $250 |
| 9 hours or more | $1,000 | $500 |
A large airline is one that carried at least two million passengers worldwide in each of the two previous calendar years. The CTA names Air Canada (including Jazz and Rouge), WestJet, Sunwing, Air Transat, Porter and Flair as the large Canadian airlines; the airline's tariff states its size. If the rebooking offered does not suit you and you take a refund instead, the minimum compensation is a flat $400 from a large airline or $125 from a small one.
Compensation must be paid in money unless the airline offers something of greater value that does not expire, tells you its monetary value in writing, and you confirm in writing that you chose it. The CTA notes that the APPR does not let it award compensation for stress, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment or loss of income.
Rebooking and refunds
In every category the airline must make sure you can complete your itinerary as soon as possible. Where the disruption is within its control, including for safety, a large airline must rebook you free of charge on its own next available flight or a partner's; if it cannot get you away within nine hours of the original departure time it must use any airline from your airport; and after 48 hours it must also consider flights from a nearby airport. Small airlines must rebook you on their own or a partner's next available flight.
- Delays of three hours or more and cancellations entitle you to rebooking, or a refund if the rebooking offered does not meet your travel needs. If the trip no longer serves its purpose, the refund covers the unused ticket and, if you are part-way through, a flight back to where you started.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method unless you agree in writing to a non-expiring alternative, and must be paid within 30 days.
- Upgrades are free; downgrades are refunded. If you are rebooked in a lower class, the airline refunds the difference.
Care while you wait
When the disruption is within the airline's control (including for safety) and you were told less than 12 hours before departure, the airline must provide food and drink in reasonable quantities and a means of communication once you have waited two hours past the original departure time. If you have to wait overnight, it must offer a hotel or comparable accommodation and transport to and from it. It may limit this care if providing it would delay you further. Status updates are required every 30 minutes until a new departure time is set.
The APPR also sets tarmac rules for flights in Canada: an opportunity to leave the aircraft after three hours, unless take-off is likely within three hours and 45 minutes and the airline can keep providing care. For the US equivalent, see our tarmac delay rules guide.
Bumped from the flight
Denied boarding within the airline's control carries higher amounts, paid no later than 48 hours after the event: $900 if you arrive less than six hours late, $1,800 for six to nine hours, and $2,400 for nine hours or more. Airlines must ask for volunteers first. US rules work differently; see bumping compensation in the US.
How to claim
- Write to the airline. File your compensation request within one year of the delay or cancellation. The airline has 30 days to pay or explain why it will not.
- Keep the paper trail: ticket and booking reference, the full itinerary, the notice of the disruption, and receipts for any expenses.
- Escalate to the CTA if the airline has not resolved it after 30 days. You will need proof that you contacted the airline in writing.
Baggage has separate deadlines: 7 days to claim for damage and 21 days for a delayed bag after you receive it. Our lost luggage guide covers the Montreal Convention side. On a purely US domestic trip, Canadian rules do not apply; see US refund rights.
Common questions
How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight in Canada?
If the delay was within the airline's control and not required for safety, a large airline owes $400 for an arrival 3 to under 6 hours late, $700 for 6 to under 9 hours and $1,000 for 9 hours or more. Small airlines owe $125, $250 and $500.
Does weather qualify for APPR compensation?
No. Weather that makes safe operation impossible is listed as outside the airline's control. You are still entitled to rebooking or a refund, but not compensation.
What is the deadline to claim APPR compensation?
You must file the request with the airline within one year of the delay or cancellation. The airline then has 30 days to pay or explain why it will not.
Do the Canadian rules apply to US airlines?
The CTA handles complaints about flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights. A purely domestic US flight is not covered.
Can the airline pay me in vouchers instead of cash?
Only if the voucher is worth more than the cash minimum, does not expire, its value is explained in writing, and you confirm in writing that you chose it over money.
Sources
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150 (Justice Laws Website)
- CTA: Flight delays and cancellations - rebooking, refunds and compensation
- CTA: Deadlines to file a claim with the airline
- CTA: Air travel issues within the Agency's jurisdiction
General information, not legal advice. Trailisse is an independent travel agency; the airline's tariff, the APPR and the CTA are the authority on your claim.