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What alternative flights must a large carrier consider after a covered controllable Canadian disruption?

For the APPR’s applicable within-control branches, a large carrier must move through a sequence of confirmed alternatives rather than indefinitely offering only its next convenient flight. The sequence uses the original departure time and can expand from its own or partner service to other carriers and nearby airports.

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What this answer depends on

  • Travel within the applicable APPR scope, including the ticketed journey and the event-specific conditions. The consolidated source displays current-through 2026-07-21; check for later changes.
  • For the covered within-control rebooking branch, a large carrier first seeks its own or a commercial partner’s next available flight departing within 9 hours of the original departure time.
  • If that cannot be provided, the rule expands to any carrier on a reasonable route departing within 48 hours of the original departure; if necessary, the nearby-airport branch and transfer transport follow.
  • The required alternative is a confirmed reservation without additional charge; the small-carrier branch and outside-control branch have different wording.

Important exceptions

  • These steps are not the outside-control weather sequence. Available seats and reasonable routes still matter; the article does not promise a specific flight. A small carrier operating on behalf of a large carrier can have large-carrier obligations, which requires the commercial relationship to be established.

What to do next

  1. Ask the airline to confirm the APPR cause category and that the large-carrier obligation applies to your ticket. Do not decide carrier size from the aircraft’s physical size.

  2. Keep the original scheduled departure and the offered alternative’s departure. Ask which stage of section 17 the airline is applying.

  3. When the own-or-partner stage cannot meet the rule, request consideration of the next required carrier or airport options. Present a workable route as a question, not as proof that a particular seat is available.

  4. Obtain the full confirmed itinerary and any required airport-transfer arrangement. Check final destination, cabin and accessibility before treating the problem as resolved.

  5. Have the original departure, cause explanation, ticketed destination, carrier classification, proposed alternatives and any confirmation of the operating agreement.

More booking questions

Are the periods counted from the end of the disruption?

The described section 17 sequence refers to the original ticket’s departure time.

Checked againstAir Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150

Does a small aircraft necessarily mean a small carrier?

No. APPR carrier classification is not based on the size of the plane.

Checked againstAir Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150

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