A statement from Transport Canada may just be the most revealing in this travel controversy that has left every frequent flyer feeling rather uncomfortable in their seats: “There are no Transport Canada requirements related to passengers traveling with both infants and pets.” Too little, too late for Ryan Coulson and Rebecca Bordeiasu, as it happened. They were denied access to their flight because of this airline’s own internal policy that you can’t travel with an infant and an animal, Coulson explains of the incident that happened to them on December 12 at the Abbotsford Airport in British Columbia when they were not allowed on their flight from Flair Airlines going to their holiday destination.
The couple’s plan was simple enough two adult passengers, one infant traveling with them in the cabin, and two small dogs in the cabin with them. The party had made this exact itinerary before with no problems. Bordeiasu even remembered flying with her infant in her lap and a dog at her feet on September 15 with no issues from the Flair airline staff. Unfortunately, the gate agents told them of a recent policy change dated November 20 that came from “Transport Canada approved manuals for this aircraft type.” What they weren’t told was that the new policy wasn’t even reflected in Flair’s rules and regulations or pet travel policy, which indicated that passengers were also allowed to travel with an infant and a dog.
“It was like they were attempting to put us in a position of choosing between our dog and our baby,” Bordeiasu summarized the experience. The pet travel section of the Flair Airline site was subsequently edited five days later, on December 17, to read: “Each person can bring one infant and/or one pet. According to Transport Canada rules, if an infant and a pet travel together, each person has to be accompanied by an adult.” However, Transport Canada refuted Flair Air’s assertion that this rule exists and stated that each airline has different limitations.
This left them hurrying to find other flights. After days, they rebooked the flights with Air Canada, where the problem of them not going together was not an issue. This was Bordeiasu’s daughter’s first Christmas. When informed that the trouble would have occurred nearer to December 23, Bordeiasu stated that he would have been much angrier than he was: Flair reimbursed them for the original flight price, without offering anything more. Bordeiasu sought advice from a lawyer.
For Canadians, this situation highlights the need for travelers to learn more about airline requirements in tandem with national requirements. Transport Canada recommends making prior arrangements with the airline for travel involving infants as well as pet travel. This situation becomes more pressing for Canadians around the peak travel periods, in which unforeseen requirements can lead to forfeited family gatherings.
It also points to the wider concern of passenger rights in cases of denied boarding. Though Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations cover compensation in certain air travel disruption scenarios, each airline has different rules that travelers should familiarize themselves with for filing for compensation. For involuntary denied boarding cases, air travelers are eligible for refund and further compensatory amounts depending on individual scenarios.
For global flights, relief in the form of EC 261 exists to provide up to 400% of the single way fee in case of extended delays. Parents with pets should start their travel journey with proper planning. Parents should check if they need separate adults to accompany infant and pet carriers during flights. If possible, they could go with airlines that have flexible policies concerning traveling with babies and parents, with a guarantee of free seating of children below the age of 13 with parents, which is already being done by major airlines today.
This is a fitting lesson from the ordeal of the couple as they were reminded about what matters just as much as having a ticket when flying. What is posted on a website at one time may change at another time, meaning that sometimes things must go south before things go right. When traveling, especially when passengers are accompanied by loved ones, human or pet, previewing all details is the key.
