From missing baggage horror stories to last-minute flight cancellations and hour-long delays on the tarmac, travelling has become quite a nightmare following the return to regular travel patterns post-lockdowns. 

As a result, the Canadian Transport Authority (CTA) has been dealing with an influx of passenger complaints related to delayed or cancelled flights and lost baggage. 

On Tuesday, the Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced almost $76 million in additional funding over the next three years to ensure that the Canadian Transportation Agency has the resources to deal with the backlog of passenger rights complaints. 

The new funding will make it possible to hire more employees to deal with all the claims, and help address the backlog of issues that have piled over the past few years as the airline industry bounces back. 

.@Transport_gc: Minister of Transport announces additional funding for the Canadian Transportation Agency to help clear the backlog of air passenger complaintshttps://t.co/W2WsLwJkSw

— GC Newsroom (@NewsroomGC) March 14, 2023

The CTA told a parliamentary committee last year that the backlog of customer complaints had piled up to more than 30,000, which is up 18,000 from the previous summer. 

Since this past holiday travel season, the CTA said it has received more than 10,000 additional complaints. 

"Travellers have rights, and these rights must be respected by airlines," Alghabra said. "When airlines do not provide the reimbursement or compensation to which travellers are entitled, the Canadian Transportation Agency is there to ensure passenger rights are respected."

The federal government is also working on significant reforms to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which will help "prevent the frustrating passenger experiences of last summer and over the holiday season."