Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Benedict, one of the major issues for regional airlines, in addition to ticket prices, is guaranteeing reliable service and suitable flight schedules.
Take, for example, Rouyn-Noranda regional airport, where flight schedules have often changed in recent years. These days, it's virtually impossible to come back from Europe without spending a night in Montreal, which makes it difficult to attract foreign tourists and international travellers to our region.
You should also understand that people love to have their connecting flights on the same ticket because it protects them when delays and problems occur, as they quite frequently do. There's also the issue of the prohibitive prices of tickets for international flights in Canada.
I'd like to know what you think about agreements between carriers, because one of the things that travellers are concerned about is coverage in the event of delays, postponements and losses resulting from a change of carrier. Is there any legal or other way to switch from one to the other? I'm thinking, in particular, about transferring baggage. Travellers should be offered more options and market competition. For example, you could arrive in Montreal on Air Transat but switch to another carrier, without penalty, to get to your regional destination.