Ottawa seeks changes to flight disruption rules. What to know – National [Video]

The federal government is proposing new rules surrounding airlines’ obligations to travellers whose flights are disrupted, even when delays or cancellations are caused by an “exceptional circumstance” outside of carriers’ control.

The Canadian Transportation Agency’s amendments to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, announced Saturday, would require carriers to provide meals to passengers whose flights are delayed at least two hours, along with overnight accommodation if necessary.

Airlines would also have to provide refunds within 15 days, down from the current deadline of 30 days, if a passenger prefers to be reimbursed rather than rebooked when their flight is cancelled, delayed at least three hours, or they are bumped from the flight. That timeline shift is meant to better aligned with practices in the U.S. and the European Union, the federal agency said.

Ottawa said exceptional circumstances include security threats, unscheduled airport closures, bird strikes, weather or aircraft damage that could …