In short: the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR, SOR/2019-150) apply to flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights. If a delay or cancellation is within the airline's control and not required for safety, and you were told 14 days or less before departure, a large airline must pay CA$400, CA$700 or CA$1,000 depending on how late you arrive (small airlines CA$125–500). Bumping pays CA$900–2,400. Claim from the airline within one year. On flights that UK261 or EU261 also cover, you can be compensated only once.
Which flights are covered
The Canada Transportation Act requires the Canadian Transportation Agency to make passenger protection rules "in relation to flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights" (s.86.11(1)). The APPR are those rules. The obligations fall on the carrier operating the flight (APPR s.2(1)), so – as in Europe – you deal with the airline that actually flew, not the one that sold the ticket.
Many duties depend on whether the airline is large or small. A large carrier is one that carried two million passengers or more worldwide in each of the two preceding calendar years; every other carrier is small (s.1). The airline's tariff (its conditions of carriage) should say which it is.
The version described here is the official consolidation on the Justice Laws Website, current to 19 October 2026 and last amended on 8 September 2022. The Canadian government has announced reforms of the regime; as far as we could check, they were not in force on that date (see below).
Three kinds of disruption
Unlike EU261, which has one test (extraordinary circumstances or not), the APPR sort every delay, cancellation and denied boarding into three categories. What you get depends on which one applies.
| Category | Examples given in the rules | What the airline owes |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the carrier's control (s.10) | Weather or natural disasters making safe operation impossible, air traffic control instructions, security threats | Information; rebooking (or a refund if it cannot rebook within 48 hours) for delays of 3 hours or more, cancellations and denied boarding. No compensation. |
| Within control but required for safety (s.11) | Problems within the carrier's control that it has to address for safety reasons, as defined in the rules | Information, standards of treatment (food, drink, hotel) and rebooking or refund. No compensation. |
| Within the carrier's control (s.12) | Everything else within its control | Information, standards of treatment, rebooking or refund – and compensation if you were told 14 days or less before departure. |
Section 10(2) adds that a disruption caused by an earlier problem outside the carrier's control (a knock-on effect) is also treated as outside its control if the carrier took all reasonable measures to limit it. The airline must tell you which category it relies on and why (s.13).
Compensation amounts
For delays and cancellations within the airline's control (s.19), compensation depends on how late you reach your destination compared with the arrival time on your original ticket:
| Arrival delay | Large carrier | Small carrier |
|---|---|---|
| 3 hours to under 6 hours | CA$400 | CA$125 |
| 6 hours to under 9 hours | CA$700 | CA$250 |
| 9 hours or more | CA$1,000 | CA$500 |
If you choose a refund instead of travelling, the minimum is CA$400 (large) or CA$125 (small). Note that the amounts do not depend on the distance of the flight, unlike EU261 and UK261.
Denied boarding within the airline's control (s.20) pays more, again by arrival delay: CA$900 (under 6 hours), CA$1,800 (6 to under 9 hours) or CA$2,400 (9 hours or more). It must be paid no later than 48 hours after the denial of boarding, or as soon as operationally feasible; if not paid before you board the alternative flight, the airline must confirm the amount in writing. The airline must first ask for volunteers (s.15).
Compensation is owed in money. The airline may offer another form, such as vouchers, only if it is of greater value, does not expire, you are told the cash value in writing and you confirm your choice in writing (s.21).
Care, rebooking and refunds
- Food, drink and communication: once you have waited 2 hours after the departure time on your original ticket, for disruptions within the airline's control (s.14).
- Hotel: free hotel or comparable accommodation and transport to and from it, if an overnight wait is expected (s.14).
- Updates: the airline must explain the reason, your possible compensation and your recourse, including to the Agency, and update you every 30 minutes during a delay (s.13).
- Rebooking by large carriers (disruptions within their control, s.17): a confirmed seat on the next flight of the airline or a partner leaving within 9 hours of the original departure time; if none, a seat on any airline's flight leaving within 48 hours; if none, travel to a nearby airport. If none of this meets your needs, a refund of the unused part (or a full refund and a flight home if the trip no longer has a purpose).
- Disruptions outside the airline's control (s.18): the next available flight of the airline or a partner leaving within 48 hours; otherwise you may choose a refund or other arrangements.
- Refunds go back by the original payment method within 30 days of the airline becoming obliged to pay (s.18.2).
- Tarmac delays: the airline must provide toilets, ventilation, food and drink on board, and let passengers off after 3 hours – unless take-off is likely within 3 hours 45 minutes and those standards are maintained (ss.8–9).
Deadlines
To claim delay or cancellation compensation you must file a request with the airline before the first anniversary of the day the delay or cancellation occurred. The airline has 30 days from receiving it to pay or explain why it considers no compensation is due (s.19). That is much shorter than the 6 years you have for a UK261 claim in England and Wales (see time limits).
How the APPR interact with UK261 and EU261
UK261 covers every flight departing the UK and flights into the UK on a UK or EU airline; EU261 covers every flight departing the EU and flights into the EU on an EU airline (UK261, EU261). The APPR cover flights to and from Canada on any airline. So several transatlantic flights are covered twice:
| Flight | UK261 / EU261 | APPR |
|---|---|---|
| London–Toronto on Air Canada | UK261 (departs the UK) | Yes |
| Toronto–London on Air Canada | No – non-UK/EU airline flying into the UK | Yes |
| Toronto–London on British Airways | UK261 (UK airline into the UK) | Yes |
| Montreal–Paris on Air France | EU261 (EU airline into the EU) | Yes |
| Montreal–Paris on Air Canada | No | Yes |
| London–Vancouver via Toronto on one Air Canada booking | UK261 for the whole journey | Yes |
Where both apply, you cannot collect twice: the Canada Transportation Act says a person shall not receive APPR compensation if they have already been compensated for the same event under a different passenger rights regime (s.86.11(3)), and UK261/EU261 exclude passengers on inbound flights who received benefits or compensation and assistance in the non-European country (Article 3(1)(b)). Compare the amounts before you claim: APPR amounts depend on the length of the delay, UK261 and EU261 amounts on the distance. The tests also differ – a "required for safety" problem pays nothing under the APPR, while a technical fault normally pays under UK261 and EU261 (see technical faults).
Canada is a party to the Montreal Convention, so for international flights you can also claim proven losses caused by delay, and baggage claims up to 1,519 SDR.
Where to complain
- Claim from the airline in writing, within one year, using its compensation form if it has one.
- Canadian Transportation Agency: if the airline refuses or does not respond, you can file an air travel complaint with the Agency for flights to, from or within Canada, including connecting flights outside Canada. The Agency says this costs nothing.
- For UK261/EU261 claims on the same flight, use the European route instead: the airline, then ADR or the national enforcement body (how to claim).
What we could not verify
- Pending reforms. Parliament amended the Canada Transportation Act in 2023, and further changes to the APPR have been announced. The Justice Laws consolidation current to 19 October 2026 shows no amendment to the regulations since 8 September 2022, so we describe the rules as they stand in that text. Check the Agency's website if your flight is after a reform takes effect.
- The Agency's own deadlines for filing a complaint with it (as opposed to the one-year deadline for claiming from the airline) were not on the pages we could open.
- Whether a particular airline is a large or small carrier depends on its passenger numbers; we have not checked individual airlines.
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation do Canadian airlines pay for a delay?
Under section 19 of the APPR, a large airline pays CA$400 for an arrival delay of 3 to under 6 hours, CA$700 for 6 to under 9 hours and CA$1,000 for 9 hours or more; a small airline pays CA$125, CA$250 or CA$500. It applies only where the delay was within the airline's control and not required for safety, and you were told 14 days or less before departure.
Can I claim under both APPR and UK261 for the same flight?
Both can apply to the same flight – for example London to Toronto on Air Canada. But the Canada Transportation Act (s.86.11(3)) says you cannot receive APPR compensation if you have already been compensated for the same event under another passenger rights regime. In practice you choose one.
How long do I have to claim APPR compensation?
You must file your request with the airline before the first anniversary of the delay or cancellation (s.19(3)). The airline then has 30 days to pay or explain why it believes no compensation is owed.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Canadian amounts are in Canadian dollars. We are an independent guide and an affiliate partner of AirHelp – see our affiliate disclosure.
Sources
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations (SOR/2019-150), full text (current to 2026-10-19) – Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada
- Canada Transportation Act (S.C. 1996, c. 10), section 86.11 – Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada
- Frequently asked questions: submitting an air travel complaint – Canadian Transportation Agency
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – UK version, Article 3 (scope) – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – Article 3 (scope) – EUR-Lex
- Montreal Convention 1999 – list of parties – ICAO
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.