# Canada''s APPR: delay compensation from C$125 to C$1,000

Source: https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/

> Claim within a year of the delay or cancellation; the carrier has 30 days to pay or explain before you can complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency.

# Air Passenger Protection Regulations (Canada) explained

The Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) pay C$400, C$700 or C$1,000 when a delay or cancellation gets you to your destination three hours or more late for a reason within a large carrier's control and not required for safety. A small carrier pays C$125, C$250 or C$500 on the same bands. Denied boarding within the carrier's control pays C$900 to C$2,400. APPR was last amended on 8 September 2022.

## Which flights do the Air Passenger Protection Regulations cover?

Section 86.11(1) of the Canada Transportation Act covers flights to, from and within Canada, including connecting flights. Carrier size never decides whether you are covered. You must not be refused APPR compensation because another regime also covers you. APPR does not pay for a disruption already compensated under another regime.

Source: Canada Transportation Act s.86.11(1), s.86.11(3); APPR s.3(3), s.23(1)-(2) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca; UK261 art. 3(1)(a) - legislation.gov.uk; EU261 art. 3(1)(a) - eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

APPR also covers baggage. Section 23 sets a floor for lost or damaged bags: the baggage fees you paid plus the amount under the Carriage by Air Act or, where that Act does not apply, the Montreal Convention. A bag counts as lost once the carrier admits it or after more than 21 days. The CTA's own limits and complaint windows sit on the [lost and delayed baggage in Canada](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/lost-delayed-baggage/) page.

Coverage can overlap, and APPR section 3(3) and section 86.11(3) of the Act keep your APPR claim open when it does. APPR sets its own limit: once you have received compensation for the same event under a different regime, APPR does not pay for it.

A flight from London to Toronto leaves a UK airport, so UK261 covers it on any carrier. APPR covers it as a flight to Canada. If UK261 compensation for that disruption has already been paid, APPR does not pay again.

Not your situation? A flight departing a UK airport is also covered by [UK261](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/), in pounds. One departing an EU airport is also covered by [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/), in euros. Flying in the US? US federal rules differ: see the [US DOT hub](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/). Unsure which law fits? [Work it out here](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/).

Note your departure airport and any compensation already paid before you claim.

## Is your airline a large or small carrier under APPR?

A carrier is large under APPR if it carried 2,000,000 or more passengers worldwide in each of the two preceding calendar years. Any other carrier is small. A small carrier carrying passengers on behalf of a large carrier under a commercial agreement has the obligations of a large carrier.

Source: APPR s.1(2), s.1(4), s.17(1), s.19(1), s.20(1) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

The count is worldwide, not only on Canadian routes. It covers each of the two calendar years before the one you fly in. Miss 2,000,000 in either year, and the carrier is small. The accessibility regulations use a separate, lower size test, set out in [flying with a disability in the US and Canada](https://airtravelrights.com/disability-flight-rights-us-canada/).

Size changes two things: the delay and cancellation amounts under section 19 and the rebooking the carrier owes under section 17. Denied-boarding amounts under section 20 are the same for both sizes. On a category 3 delay that gets you in 7 hours late, a large carrier owes C$700 and a small carrier C$250, so the large carrier pays 2.8 times as much.

APPR defines the test and names no airlines; the Canadian Transportation Agency's own guidance does, and names [Canadian North](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/canadian-north/) among its examples of small carriers (checked 2026-09-17). Airline-specific rules are on the [Air Canada](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/air-canada/) and [WestJet](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/westjet/) pages. The test has its own page: [large carrier vs small carrier](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/large-small-carrier/).

Ask the carrier in writing which size it says it is for your flight, and keep the answer with your claim file.

## Which of the three disruption categories applies to your flight?

APPR sorts every disruption into 3 categories, and only category 3 pays delay or cancellation compensation: C$125 to C$1,000. The other two, outside the carrier's control or within control but required for safety, pay none. In a Canadian Transportation Agency complaint, the disruption is presumed to be category 3 unless the carrier proves otherwise.

Source: APPR s.1(1), ss.10-12, s.17(1), s.18(1); Canada Transportation Act s.85.07(2) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

| Category | Example cause | Compensation |
|:--|:--|:--|
| 1: outside the carrier's control | weather that makes safe operation impossible, air traffic control instructions, a labour disruption within the carrier | None; rebooking or refund |
| 2: within control but required for safety | a pilot's safety decision | None; care if told less than 12 hours before, plus rebooking or refund |
| 3: within the carrier's control | scheduled maintenance, or any other cause within its control | C$125 to C$1,000 if told 14 days or less before |

Work down the table in order: only category 3 reaches the amount tables below.

For category 1, section 10(1) lists causes such as sabotage, a medical emergency or a wildlife collision. It also lists a labour disruption within the carrier or within an essential service provider. So a strike by the carrier's own staff pays no compensation. A knock-on disruption counts too, if the carrier took all reasonable measures. After a 3-hour delay or a cancellation, the carrier still owes a flight on its own or a partner carrier departing within 48 hours. If it cannot offer one, you choose between a refund and another option.

Category 2 is a decision required by law to reduce a risk to passenger safety. A pilot's safety decision counts, and so does a decision under a safety management system. No section 19 compensation is owed.

Category 3 is every other cause within the carrier's control. The definition names one: scheduled maintenance never counts as required for safety.

Categories 2 and 3 share one rebooking rule once a delay reaches 3 hours or the flight is cancelled. A large carrier must offer the next available flight on its own or a partner carrier departing within 9 hours of the original departure. Failing that, it owes a flight on any carrier departing within 48 hours, and then transport to a nearby airport and a flight from there. A small carrier owes the next available flight on its own or a partner carrier.

Ask the carrier, in writing, which category it assigns and why: in an Agency complaint the carrier must prove any category other than 3.

## How much does APPR pay for delays and cancellations?

A large carrier pays C$400 for an arrival 3 to under 6 hours late, C$700 for 6 to under 9 hours and C$1,000 for 9 hours or more. A small carrier pays C$125, C$250 and C$500 on the same bands. Section 19 applies only in category 3, and only if you were told 14 days or less before departure.

Source: APPR s.1(2), s.12(3), s.19(1)(a)-(b), s.19(2) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

| Arrival delay | Large carrier | Small carrier |
|:--|:--|:--|
| 3 to under 6 hours | C$400 | C$125 |
| 6 to under 9 hours | C$700 | C$250 |
| 9 hours or more | C$1,000 | C$500 |

The large-carrier scale is C$400 / C$700 / C$1,000. That is 3.2 times the small-carrier amount in the first band and 2 times at 9 hours or more.

Arrival is the moment an aircraft door opens after landing to let passengers leave. So a flight that lands 2 hours 40 minutes late and waits 20 minutes for a door to open arrives 3 hours late: C$400 from a large carrier. At 2 hours 59 minutes, nothing is owed.

Notice counts as well. Told 15 days ahead, you get no compensation; told 14 days ahead, section 19 applies. Either way, the rebooking and refund rules still apply.

If your ticket is refunded under section 17(2), section 19(2) pays a fixed C$400 from a large carrier or C$125 from a small one. A cancellation runs through the same test: category, notice, then how late you reach your destination.

See how the 3-hour line compares on the [delay-threshold comparison page](https://airtravelrights.com/flight-delay-threshold-rules/). The 14-day notice test, the refund amount and the claim steps are set out on [flight delay compensation in Canada](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/flight-delay-compensation/).

Write down the time the first door opened and the date you were told of the change.

## What does APPR pay for denied boarding?

Denied boarding within the carrier's control pays C$900 if you arrive less than 6 hours late, C$1,800 for 6 to under 9 hours and C$2,400 for 9 hours or more. Large and small carriers pay the same. Payment is due as soon as operationally feasible and no later than 48 hours after boarding is denied.

Source: APPR s.10(3), s.12(4), s.20(1)-(2), s.20(4)-(5), s.21 - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

Section 20 compensation applies when the denial is within the carrier's control. For a denial outside its control, the carrier owes alternate arrangements and no compensation.

Denied boarding compensation has no size split, unlike the delay table above. The band depends on how late you reach your destination, measured when a door opens. After a denial within its control, a new flight that gets you in 6 hours 10 minutes late earns C$1,800, not C$900.

The 48 hours run from the denial. If the carrier has not paid before you board the new flight, it must confirm the amount owed in writing. If you then arrive later than expected, it must adjust the amount.

Compensation is paid in money. The carrier can offer another form only if it has greater monetary value, is disclosed in writing and never expires. You must also confirm in writing. A voucher handed over at the gate, with no written confirmation from you, does not meet section 21.

Get the reason for the denial in writing before you leave the airport, with the flight you were rebooked onto.

## What must the airline provide while you wait or sit on the tarmac?

After 2 hours of waiting past the original departure time, categories 2 and 3 owe food and drink and access to communication, if you were told less than 12 hours before departure. A hotel and transport follow if an overnight wait is expected. On the tarmac, you get the chance to disembark after 3 hours.

Source: APPR s.8, s.9(1)-(2), s.9(4), s.13(2), s.14(1)-(3) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

The standards of treatment mean food and drink in reasonable quantities and access to communication. They apply only in categories 2 and 3; category 1 carries no such duty. The carrier may limit this care only if providing it would further delay the flight.

Information runs in every category: during a delay, the carrier must give a status update every 30 minutes until a new departure time is set or other arrangements are made.

A tarmac delay has its own rules, whatever the cause. On board, the carrier must provide lavatories, ventilation, cooling or heating, a way to communicate, and food and drink, free of charge, and must help you reach urgent medical assistance.

Three hours after the doors close for take-off, or after landing, you must get the chance to disembark. That duty lapses if take-off is likely less than 3 hours 45 minutes after the doors closed or the landing, and the section 8 services continue. Safety, security, air traffic control and customs reasons can also keep you on board.

Log the time a tarmac hold is announced and the time the doors open if you are held past 3 hours.

## How do you claim, and what if the airline refuses?

File your [APPR](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/) claim with the carrier before the first anniversary of the delay or cancellation. The carrier then has 30 days to pay or explain why compensation is not payable. If your written request is not resolved within 30 days, you can complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency.

Source: APPR s.19(3)-(4); Canada Transportation Act s.85.01(2), s.85.04(1)(d), s.85.05, s.85.06, s.85.07(3) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca; Canadian Transportation Agency, air travel complaints - protection-passager-passenger.otc-cta.gc.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

Section 19(3) sets a one-year claim window. You must make your request to the carrier before the first anniversary of the day the delay or cancellation happened. Send the flight number, the date, the notice you got and the amount you claim. Keep a dated copy: it proves the written request a complaint requires.

Section 19(4) gives the carrier 30 days from receiving your request to pay or explain why compensation is not payable. Section 85.01(2) of the Act sets the same 30 days.

A written request not resolved within 30 days opens the complaint route. File through the Agency's air travel complaint form. The Agency's air travel complaints page tells you to contact the airline in writing first and to expect a response that "can take up to 30 days". The same page gives 7 days to claim for damaged baggage and 21 days for delayed baggage.

After you file, a complaint resolution officer starts mediation no later than the 30th day, and if mediation does not settle it, an order follows no later than the 60th day after mediation started. A filed agreement or order is enforceable as an Agency order.

Escalate on the [Canadian Transportation Agency complaint route](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/cta-complaint/) once your 30 days with the carrier run out. Compare the one-year window with other regimes on [flight compensation time limits](https://airtravelrights.com/flight-compensation-time-limits/).

Keep every message you send and receive, dated, in one file.

## What is changing in Canadian passenger rights in 2026?

Bill C-47's 2023 changes to the Canada Transportation Act, an exceptions-based test replacing the three categories, are still listed as not in force in the consolidated Act, checked 15 September 2026. On 1 May 2026, Transport Canada said legislation would come "in the coming weeks"; that is an announcement, not law.

Source: Canada Transportation Act, "AMENDMENTS NOT IN FORCE" (2023, c. 26, ss. 460-464, 465(1), (2), (4)) - laws-lois.justice.gc.ca; Transport Canada release, 1 May 2026 - canada.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

The consolidated Act still lists sections 460-464 and 465(1), (2) and (4) of Bill C-47 as "AMENDMENTS NOT IN FORCE". APPR (SOR/2019-150) was last amended on 8 September 2022. APPR amendments pre-published in Canada Gazette Part I in December 2024 have not been made.

On 1 May 2026, Transport Canada put the backlog of air travel complaints at "more than 97,000" and set out a plan to engage a neutral third-party dispute resolution organization, with fines for systemic APPR violations of "up to $1 million".

On 8 April 2026, Air Canada announced a voluntary pilot with Canada Aviation Dispute Resolution (CADR), an independent dispute resolution firm and a subsidiary of The CDRL Group. Air Canada invited 500 randomly selected customers with outstanding APPR claims at the Agency to transfer them. CADR decides within 90 days of a complete file, at no cost. The decision binds Air Canada, but binds you only if you accept it ([Passenger rights rule changes](https://airtravelrights.com/data/passenger-rights-rule-changes/)).

Air Canada says it consulted Transport Canada and the Agency on the design. CADR says the Agency will allow a transfer where both the airline and the passenger consent. It is a pilot run by Air Canada with CTA consent to file transfers, not a statutory scheme. Air Canada is the only airline subscribed as of 15 September 2026.

Source: Air Canada release, 8 April 2026 - aircanada.com; CADR service rules - cadr.ca, checked 2026-09-15.

Rely on the rules above until Justice Laws shows the 2023 sections in force.

**All guides in this topic**

- [Canada flight delay compensation: C$125 to C$1,000 (APPR)](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/flight-delay-compensation/) — File your APPR claim with the airline in writing within 1 year of the disruption; it then has 30 days to pay or explain before you can complain to the CTA.
- [How to file a CTA complaint: Canadian Transportation Agency](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/cta-complaint/) — CTA mediation must start by day 30 after filing; a 1 May 2026 Transport Canada release put the air travel complaint backlog at more than 97,000.
- [Lost baggage compensation in Canada: 1,519 SDR plus bag fees](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/lost-delayed-baggage/) — Report damage within 7 days and an international delayed bag within 21; flights before 28 December 2024 cap at 1,288 SDR.

**Canadian airport and airlines**

- [Toronto Pearson](https://airtravelrights.com/airports/toronto-pearson/) — C$400 to C$1,000 from a large carrier, C$125 to C$500 from a small one, for a 3-hour-plus delay in category 3; the airline pays, never the airport.
- [Canadian North](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/canadian-north/) — Small carrier per the CTA: C$125, C$250 or C$500 at 3, 6 or 9 hours late, when the delay is within its control and not required for safety.
- [Sunwing](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/sunwing/) — WestJet has operated Sunwing Vacations flights since 29 May 2025; the CTA sends complaints to WestJet.

General information on Canada's APPR, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the Canadian Transportation Agency or a lawyer.

## Sources

- Canada Transportation Act, ss. 85.01, 85.04-85.07, 86.11 - [laws-lois.justice.gc.ca](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-10.4/FullText.html), checked 2026-09-15.
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations (SOR/2019-150), ss. 1, 3, 8-14, 17-21, 23 - [laws-lois.justice.gc.ca](https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-150/FullText.html), checked 2026-09-15.
- UK261, art. 3 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/3), checked 2026-09-15.
- EU261 (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004), art. 3 - [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261), checked 2026-09-15.
- Canadian Transportation Agency, Air travel complaints - [protection-passager-passenger.otc-cta.gc.ca](https://protection-passager-passenger.otc-cta.gc.ca/en/air-travel-complaints), checked 2026-09-15.
- Canadian Transportation Agency, Air travel complaint form - [formulaires-forms.otc-cta.gc.ca](https://formulaires-forms.otc-cta.gc.ca/en/air-travel-complaint), checked 2026-09-15.
- Transport Canada, Minister MacKinnon highlights plan to clear the backlog of air travel complaints, 1 May 2026 - [canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2026/05/minister-mackinnon-highlights-plan-to-clear-the-backlog-of-air-travel-complaints-from-spring-economic-update-2026-canada-strong-for-all.html), checked 2026-09-15.
- Air Canada, Air Canada tests a third-party alternative dispute resolution process to resolve APPR cases - [aircanada.com](https://www.aircanada.com/media/air-canada-tests-a-third-party-alternative-dispute-resolution-process-to-resolve-appr-cases/), checked 2026-09-15.
- Canada Aviation Dispute Resolution, service rules - [cadr.ca](https://cadr.ca/service_rules.html), checked 2026-09-15.