Transport committee  The routes you mentioned are the ones with the most competition. For each of those routes, prices are determined based on respective market factors. I can't comment on the specific examples you cited because I don't see them. The price of every route obviously depends on market conditions, available inventory, supply and demand in respective markets and the type of aircraft flown among the various cities in Canada.

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning. I am pleased to appear before you today. Air Canada is proud of the services it offers Canadians. We serve more than 180 airports around the world, including 50 airports in Canada. In 2023, we offered nearly 55 million seats and welcomed more than 46 million passengers, whom I thank for having chosen us.

Transport committee  Yes. I would just like to clarify that the number to reach the call centre is known, Mr. Berthold. In addition, there are applications through which people can change their reservations themselves. As I said, we were in constant communication with the minister's office, throughout the preparation and throughout the period concerned.

Transport committee  This issue has been raised for a long time by the industry. I will quote from the 2016 Canada Transportation Act Review report, the Emerson Report: Canada is unique among its competitors in charging onerous rents and taxes that undermine competitiveness. Airport rents, for example, can represent up to 30 percent of airport operating budgets....

Transport committee  I don't have the exact data for the holiday season. I will check and send the response to the committee.

Transport committee  Our position before the committee is that yes, the Air Passenger Protection Regulations need to be reviewed, but the committee should take into account that there are a range of stakeholders in the air transport chain. Every stakeholder has roles and responsibilities to ensure that passengers, our customers, get good service.

Transport committee  No. What we have said is that we support the idea of reviewing the regulations so that the review includes the responsibility of everyone involved in air travel. The current regulations have very high penalties when compared to those imposed by other countries. For example, in the United States, there is no penalty or compensation for delay or cancellation.

Transport committee  Thank you for your question. As I mentioned in my remarks, we have no financial obligation, but we obviously have an obligation to communicate with passengers, provide information and “reprotect” them. We are sorry for the passengers who had to wait to be “reprotected”, and we sincerely apologize.

Transport committee  We were in contact with the minister's office and Department of Transportation officials on a regular basis throughout the fall. When the December events occurred, we had regular, almost daily, contact at various levels with the minister's office and with the department to provide updates and exchange information.

Transport committee  I would like to conclude this presentation by asking a question that we are all seeking to answer. How can we improve the situation in the future, at least as far as Mother Nature will allow? First, there has been a lot of talk about the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. As we have done and will continue to do, we comply fully with the regulation obligations.

Transport committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the committee for inviting us here today to talk about Air Canada's operations over the holiday season. I am pleased to be accompanied by Kevin O'Connor, vice-president of system operations control. Kevin is responsible for the operations at Air Canada.

Transport committee  I would agree with my colleague. We are involved. We are in discussion with the government, and everybody understands that this is a very serious situation that requires immediate action to be taken. I would say from an industry perspective that what's different now versus three years ago are all of the health requirements and checks that need to be made by an agent, for instance, when people arrive in Canada.

Transport committee  There has been some progress, I agree, but we definitely need to continue to improve, increase resources and review and streamline the processes. We will soon go into the peak summer season, and traveller volume will increase, so I think all agencies involved in the transportation sector also need to be prepared for this.

Transport committee  We are very pleased for your community, sir.

Transport committee  Like I said, we must look at all taxes and fees imposed on industry very carefully as a country, because they impact the competitiveness of the carriers. If we want to build a global connectivity in Canada and powerful hubs, we have to make sure that the infrastructure, the costs and the fees are competitive on a global scale.