Ottawa plans to outsource air passenger complaints process amid record backlog

MONTREAL — The federal government says it will outsource the air passenger complaints process to a third party in a bid to clear the massive backlog at the country’s transport regulator.

In Ottawa’s spring economic update Tuesday, the Liberals said they plan to import a model used in Europe that sees independent adjudicators resolve complaints over issues ranging from refunds to accessibility.

The change would mark an end to the current in-house process under the Canadian Transportation Agency, where the backlog sits at a record 97,000 complaints.

The government says the upcoming legislation also aims to simplify the passenger rights charter, three years after Ottawa announced reforms that have yet to take effect.