Canceled flights: New fees from November for travelers

Quebec wants to get travelers to pay again to access Travel Agent Customer Compensation Fund (FICAV) protection, even if said fund has yet to reimburse all Quebecers who have lost their flight due to the pandemic. The decision arouses indignation in society.

“Unacceptable. I think it’s a lack of respect for consumers. The fund hasn’t even started to compensate and there we want them to contribute again. Can we afford a little embarrassment?” Eric Poissonault, president of Voyage Performa and vice president of the Quebec Cruise Agents Association protested.

Same story with Luc Laflamme, owner of Voyage Vasco Spatial.

He had to wait for the real resumption of travel. still fragile. I don’t think this is the time to add costs,” he said wistfully.

According to the last system draft published in The Official Gazette of QuebecThe government wants to order 1^{He is} November, customers of authorized travel agencies charge a fee of 0.35%, or $3.50 for every $1,000 spent, when purchasing tourism services. This measure will be in effect until December 31, 2023.

Renew FICAV

These amounts will be used to replenish the FICAV coffers, whose role is to protect consumers, in particular from the bankruptcy of an agency or carrier and also to compensate them in the event that they do not receive the services required of them. big quantities.

1^{He is} January 2019, due to the surplus, let’s remember that customer contributions to this fund have been halted by the government. At the time, the requirement was 0.1%, or $1 per $1,000.

In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, the nest egg of FICAV, operated by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, was valued at $131.6 million.

Several months ago, Liberal MP Lise Terreault called for this contribution to be reinstated in order to ensure that we receive the necessary funds to compensate all those whose flight has been cancelled.

However, she finds it difficult to absorb the fact that FICAV has not fulfilled its obligations to travelers, which it considers “unnatural”, and questions the imposition of a contribution of 0, 35%.

“I wonder why you have to go this far? She asks.

The draft regulation also provides for an increase in the total amount of compensation per case that the fund may pay to victims of the pandemic until December 31, 2021. This amount may reach 75% of the surplus on March 31, 2019, or $106 million. If all of this money is used, about $25 million will be left in the vault.

More than 35,000 passengers

Last June, the Office of Consumer Protection (OPC) announced that more than 35,000 passengers would be compensated in September. The complaints manager is PricewaterhouseCoopers. The operation was due to be completed in December.

The OPC states today that “work has been ramping up since September to process thousands of compensation claims.” However, the organization refuses to disclose whether any payments have been made so far. Some files are still incomplete.

Contribution to the fund Compensation for return travel agent clients

The Quebec government intends to impose, effective 1^{He is} November, for customers of licensed travel agencies, 0.35% fee, ie $3.50 per slice from 1000 dollars It is disbursed when purchasing tourist services.