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What it pays
| How late you arrived | Large airline | Small airline |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to under 6 hours | CA$400 | CA$125 |
| 6 to under 9 hours | CA$700 | CA$250 |
| 9 hours or more | CA$1,000 | CA$500 |
| Denied boarding, 0–6 hours | CA$900 | |
| Denied boarding, 6–9 hours | CA$1,800 | |
| Denied boarding, 9 hours or more | CA$2,400 | |
A "large" airline carried two million passengers or more in each of the two previous years. Carriers cross that line as they grow, so for the few Canadian airlines near the threshold our calculator shows both bands rather than guessing.
Who it covers
Every flight to, from or within Canada, including connections on the same booking, and it binds every airline on the route rather than just Canadian ones. A European carrier flying into Toronto is subject to the APPR for that flight.
The three categories, which decide everything
This is the APPR's defining feature and the source of most refusals:
- Within the airline's control. Compensation plus rebooking. Commercial decisions, crew scheduling, aircraft swaps.
- Within the airline's control but required for safety. No compensation, but they must still rebook you and look after you. This is the category airlines reach for.
- Outside the airline's control. Weather, air traffic control, security. No compensation.
The middle category has no equivalent in European law, and it is doing a lot of work. A mechanical problem that Europe would treat as the airline's ordinary business can be presented in Canada as safety-required. The Canadian Transportation Agency has been working through a large backlog of exactly these disputes.
Claiming
Put it to the airline within one year of the flight — much tighter than Europe's several years, and the single most common way a Canadian claim dies. The airline has thirty days to respond. If it refuses or goes quiet, you can escalate to the CTA, though the queue has been long.
Denied boarding and baggage
Being bumped pays CA$900, CA$1,800 or CA$2,400 by how late you arrive, and unusually these bands do not vary with the size of the airline. Lost or damaged baggage is compensated up to a limit set by the Montreal Convention, separately from any delay claim.
Tarmac delays
One right with no European equivalent: if the aircraft sits on the tarmac for three hours without taking off, the airline must let passengers off, unless take-off is imminent. Air conditioning, toilets, food and water are required throughout.
Put your flight through the calculator
All four regimes checked at once, with the article each number comes from.