Flying? Know your rights

Air passenger rights have perhaps become more of a hot topic following the surprise rapid uptick of summer 2022 travel. No doubt the Christmas triple whammy of an appetite for going anywhere, staffing shortages, and weather, put baggage issues - cancellations and more - on the front page of newspapers across North America. In airports chaos reigned over the holiday season. Stranded passengers understood about storms, but 36 hour (as reported by Globe and Mail Dustin Cook and Oliver Moore) delays and backlogs were unfortunately common and painful. WestJet cancelled 1,640 flights between December 22-25. Some individuals and families using SouthWest or Sunwing experienced even longer waits mostly for repatriation. Lack of quality information and updates was cited as a primary frustration. This episode of QOL features a conversation with Gabor Lukacs, President and founder of the non-profit Air Passenger Rights, a Canadian advocacy voice for education and awareness.