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Welcome!

How this form helps you submit a complaint

This form will collect all your information and documents about the flight and the incidents you experienced. During the complaint resolution process, the airline will also have an opportunity to provide their information and documents.

We will use this information to review whether:

  • your complaint meets the eligibility requirements
  • the airline followed the rules that apply to your ticket
  • you are entitled to compensation, a refund or reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses
  • there are issues that could be tracked to improve air travel service

What if we can't help you?

The form will also check if your complaint is something we can help with. If it is not, we will let you know or provide links to organizations that may be able to help.

How long will it take?

A form with a single issue should take approximately 20 minutes to complete if you have:

  • all the information about your flight and the issues you experienced in one place
  • all your documents ready to upload in a digital format (scans, photos, electronic files)

It may take longer if your complaint involves more than one issue or more than one flight on the same trip.

Important: At this time the form cannot be saved and completed later. You will need to set aside enough time to answer all the questions and upload all your documents in order to submit the form.

Need help? You can click on the arrows to get more information or examples.
Already submitted a complaint?

Check your case status

If you have already submitted a complaint, you can check the status of your case.

Please do not resubmit the same complaint.

Please note: We continue to receive a high number of new complaints. The wait time between when you submitted your case and when it is reviewed can be more than 18 months. We continue to improve our review process to reduce wait times. We assure you that the wait time will not affect the outcome of your case review.
Accessibility issues

Persons with disabilities have a right to barrier-free travel. The CTA can help with issues about the:

  • accessibility of flights to, from, and within Canada
  • accessibility of airports in Canada
  • accessibility of transportation services by an airline or terminal in Canada
  • accessibility of trains, ferries and buses that operate between provinces or territories or between Canada and the United States, as well as rail stations and ferry terminals in Canada

File an accessible transportation complaint

For more information about the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, visit our Accessible Transportation page.

Section 1 out of 7

What makes a complaint eligible for review?

For your complaint to be eligible, it must meet the following criteria:

  1. Your complaint has to involve a flight incident that the CTA can address, such as a flight delay. For example, the CTA cannot address airport security screening or airline customer service.
     
  2. You, or the people you are submitting the complaint for, actually experienced the flight incident raised in your complaint. For example, you cannot submit a complaint about something that you heard about on the news.
     
  3. You are looking for compensation, a refund, or reimbursement for expenses from the airline related to the flight incident raised in your complaint. The CTA cannot award compensation for pain and suffering, or loss of income.
     
  4. You have already sent your complaint to the airline in writing before submitting the complaint to the CTA, waited 30 days for the airline's answer, and your complaint remains unresolved.
     
  5. Your complaint cannot be vexatious or made in bad faith.

Important: If it is clear from the information provided in your complaint, that the airline has met its obligations under the tariff (the legal document that contains the terms, conditions and other rules that apply to your airline ticket), your complaint may be ineligible. For example, if the airline has already provided you with the compensation you were owed, your complaint would not move forward.

Visit the Air travel complaint resolution process page for more information.
Document checklist

You will be asked to provide ALL the information and documents about the flight and the incident to support your case. 

It will be easier and faster if you have everything ready in a digital format in one place on your computer, tablet or phone. Note: We cannot accept physical copies.

Important: You will not be able to provide additional information or documents after you submit your complaint.

Help for uploading documents

Click on the arrows or links below to find out more about the information and documents. 

Documents and information you will need:

You need to submit proof that you contacted the airline in writing.

We accept digital copies, screenshots or photos of:

  • An email to the airline's customer service department

  • Your complaint through their online complaint form or the confirmation message that it has been received

  • An online chat with the airline's customer service chat feature

  • A message on an airline's social media that includes a reply about your case

We cannot accept:

  • A verbal description of a conversation or a message you read

  • An audio or video recording of a conversation, call, or message

This is the proof of purchase for your flight. It is usually emailed to you when you book your flight. Airlines call it different names, but it will include the total cost of your trip.

Your booking number or reservation code, is a 6-digit alphanumeric code used to uniquely identify you in the airline's system. It is crucial for an accurate and efficient review. It may also be called the "booking reference" or "PNR" code. It is usually a six-character code found on your ticket, confirmation, receipt or invoice.

This includes all the dates, times, and airports for all the flights in your journey. This may also be found on your booking confirmation, receipt or invoice.

You may also need:

This includes receipts for food and drinks, access to communication (Wi-Fi, phone or roaming charges), accommodation for overnight delays, and transportation to and from the accommodation.

For baggage issues, this includes receipts for replacing or renting items that were lost or damaged as well as baggage fees.

This is usually a 13-digit number shown on your ticket and/or itinerary. Not all airlines use a ticket number. This may also be found on your booking confirmation, receipt or invoice.

This is the document you are given when you check-in (at the check-in desk, a check-in kiosk or online. It shows the flight information, departure gate, and your seat number. It is often a rectangular piece of paper. The airline staff at the departure gate will take one part of the paper and give you the other part to keep.

Before bumping a passenger, airlines must first ask for volunteers. If you are moved to a later flight, the airline must provide you with a written confirmation of the benefits that you accepted.

For baggage-related issues, you may also need:

This is the report you filed with the airline at the airport (usually in the baggage claim area or baggage office) or by phone.

Note: if you filed a baggage claim, you must still contact the airline to file a complaint

This is a report describing the damage to your baggage or its contents. This report is made at the airport (usually in the baggage claim area or baggage office), online or by phone with the airline that you arrived on.

This is a list or spreadsheet of all the missing or damaged items that were in your baggage, including the cost to replace each item. Note: there is a limit to the amount you can claim for baggage issues. It is set at approximately $2350 CAD by an international agreement called the Montreal Convention.

This includes receipts for replacing or renting missing or damaged items you have already replaced.

Note: there is a limit to the amount you can claim for baggage issues. It is set at approximately $2350 CAD by an international agreement called the Montreal Convention.
Next steps

Personal Information Collection Statement

Before you start the form, please read and consent to our Personal Information Collection Statement.

Information contained in this form is obtained under the authority of the Canada Transportation Act. The information may be used by the Canadian Transportation Agency to resolve disputes, conduct inquiries, monitor and enforce compliance, develop or update legislation, regulations and conventions, and for reporting purposes.

Your personal information is protected under the federal Privacy Act. By submitting this form, you agree to the creation, collection, retention, disposal, and use of your personal information, including its disclosure to transportation providers, other governmental entities and other parties involved in your complaint in a manner that respects the provisions of the Act and Privacy regulations.

We want to protect you, so please do not include sensitive personal information not relevant to your complaint, including your Social Insurance Number, passport information, personal financial data and credit card numbers.

For more information see personal information bank (PIB): CTA PPU 014 Air Travel Complaints

Inclusivity statement

The Agency is committed to providing dispute resolution services that are inclusive and respectful of gender diversity. Gender refers to current gender which may be different from sex assigned at birth and may be different from what is indicated on legal documents. In communications for the purpose of facilitation, mediation and adjudication, and in Agency decisions published on its website, the Agency will refer to individuals using the personal pronouns provided in the complaint form or application.

Retention of your information

Our online form uses a secure method to encrypt and send your information electronically to the Agency. We will retain your information in an encrypted folder on a secure server hosted on our internal network until 30 days after we close your file. The Agency securely stores the information in its Corporate Repository and Case Management System, retains it for 10 years upon file closure, and then destroys it, as described in the PIB above.

Privacy inquiry

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or complaints regarding the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information and our administration of the Privacy Act, please contact our Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by emailing otc.aiprp-atip.cta@otc-cta.gc.ca, by calling 819-743-7259 or by writing to: Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator, 60 Rue Laval, Gatineau, QC J8X 3G9.

You may contact us anytime to request access to your information and to ensure that it is accurate. Please use the Personal Information Request Form to contact us.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by e-mail at info@priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.

Confidentiality and publishing

All information and documents relating to the complaint process are confidential unless both the passenger and airline agree otherwise in writing.

When a CTA Complaint Resolution Officer (CRO) makes their final decision, only the flight number, flight date, the cause of the flight disruption (if applicable) and a statement about whether any remedies are ordered will be published online. No personal information will be published.