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What must a small carrier offer after a covered within-control Canadian delay or cancellation?

The APPR small-carrier branch is not a copy of the large-carrier nine-hour and forty-eight-hour sequence. Under the applicable within-control provisions, it concerns the next available flight operated by the carrier or a commercial partner on a reasonable route. The separate refund-when-travel-does-not-meet-needs branch can also matter.

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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.
  • Section 17(1)(b) requires the applicable small carrier to provide a confirmed next-available reservation on its own or a commercial partner’s flight on a reasonable route to the ticketed destination.
  • If the required arrangements do not accommodate the passenger’s travel needs, section 17(2) provides the applicable refund and, where relevant, return-to-origin remedy.
  • A small carrier transporting a passenger on behalf of a large carrier under a commercial agreement has the same obligations as a large carrier toward that passenger.

Important exceptions

  • The rule does not automatically require every independent small carrier to buy any airline’s ticket on the large-carrier schedule. Outside-control events have a different section 18 analysis. Carrier classification and on-behalf relationships are not verified from a brand name in this article.

What to do next

  1. Confirm that the airline is applying the small-carrier branch and ask whether the flight is operated on behalf of a large carrier. Keep the ticket’s operated-by and marketed-by details.

  2. Ask for the next confirmed own-or-partner option and the complete reasonable route to the ticketed destination. A standby suggestion is not the same as the required confirmed reservation.

  3. Explain concretely if the proposed travel no longer accommodates your needs. Ask the carrier to address the applicable refund branch rather than silently rejecting the flight and leaving the ticket unresolved.

  4. Obtain written confirmation of the chosen alternative or refund and check the remaining itinerary. Preserve the offer and the reasons it did or did not meet your needs.

  5. Have ticket numbers, operator and seller, the cause category, proposed confirmed itinerary, original destination and a clear description of the travel need affected.

More booking questions

Can I copy the large-carrier timetable into this claim?

Not unless the large-carrier obligation actually applies.

Checked againstAir Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150

What if the airline is flying for a major carrier?

Ask about the commercial on-behalf relationship; section 1(4) can change the obligations.

Checked againstAir Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150

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