Ottawa - October 27, 2004 - The Canadian Transportation Agency today released the latest report of Canada's Air Travel Complaints Commissioner for the period July to December 2003. The report contains recommendations by Liette Lacroix Kenniff, whose term of office as Commissioner ended September 30, 2004. Report statistics released today reveal the success of the program in generating better solutions for complainants in two out of three cases, meaning better settlements for citizens who complained to the Commissioner's Office than they had been able to obtain on their own from the carriers. The overall satisfaction level was of 65.5 per cent, as judged by the complainants themselves. During this six-month reporting period, the Air Travel Complaints Program received 443 complaints which raised 1,230 issues. That is more issues per complaint, on average, than were raised during both of the previous reporting periods. Issues about quality-of-service, such as poor communication and the negative attitude of staff, continue to predominate, followed by flight disruptions, ticketing and baggage. "Even in an era of reduced airfares and service levels, customer-centric service continues to be the name of the game for successful airlines," Ms. Lacroix Kenniff states in the report. Other than the fact that Liette Lacroix Kenniff's mandate has ended, it is business as usual for the staff at the Canadian Transportation Agency's Air Travel Complaints Program. Complaints already received are being dealt with and new complaints are being accepted for analysis and intervention with carriers. The continuing awareness by the carriers of the Air Travel Complaints Program's efforts on behalf of consumers has had a positive effect on resolving complaints. The Commissioner has played an important personal role in bringing the parties together and has raised several important systemic issues with the Minister and the airline industry. From July 5, 2000, to December 31, 2003, the Air Travel Complaints Program received some 6,700 complaints, involving close to 15,000 issues. All Commissioners' reports are distributed to Members of Parliament and Senators, and are available on the Internet at www.cta.gc.ca. The Air Travel Complaints Program is part of the Canadian Transportation Agency, an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates various modes of transportation under Government of Canada jurisdiction, including air, marine and rail. -30- For more information, please contact: Jadrino Huot Senior Communications Adviser (819) 953-9957 The Canadian Transportation Agency is online at www.cta.gc.ca To keep up-to-date with our latest news releases and other information, use our subscription service available on our home page under "Subscription".
