US DOT launches enforcement action against Air Canada over refund delays

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) has filed a formal complaint against Air Canada with an Administrative Law Judge regarding the carrier’s failure to provide refunds in a timely manner to thousands of consumers who requested them for flights to or from the United States that the carrier cancelled or significantly changed. The OACP is seeking a civil penalty of $25,550,000 for Air Canada’s “extreme delays in providing the required refunds”. The civil penalty amount is based on a variety of factors, such as the consumer harm caused by the violations. The penalty is also