How to File a Claim
Step-by-step guide to filing a flight compensation claim with your airline and, if needed, escalating to the CTA.
Step 1: Gather your evidence
Collect your booking confirmation, boarding passes, any notifications from the airline about the disruption, receipts for expenses incurred, and screenshots of flight status showing the delay. The more evidence you have, the stronger your claim.
Step 2: Determine your eligibility
Check that your disruption qualifies: the delay must be 3+ hours at arrival, the disruption must be within the airline's control (not weather/ATC), and the flight must depart from or arrive in Canada.
Step 3: File with the airline
Submit a formal demand letter to the airline. This should cite APPR regulations, state the specific compensation amount owed, and include your flight details and evidence. Our free tool generates this letter for you.
Step 4: Wait for the airline's response
Airlines have 30 days to respond. They may accept, offer a lower amount, deny with a reason, or ignore your claim entirely. Keep records of all communication.
Step 5: Escalate to the CTA if needed
If the airline denies your claim, offers insufficient compensation, or doesn't respond within 30 days, file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency. The CTA acts as an adjudicator. Our tool can generate the escalation letter (Letter B) for this step.
Step 6: CTA formal decision
If informal resolution fails, the CTA can issue a formal decision. Statistics show airlines were ordered to pay in approximately 50% of formal CTA decisions (CBC News, August 2024).
How long does the whole process take?
Filing with the airline: response within 30 days. CTA complaint: informal resolution in 1-3 months, formal decisions can take 6-18 months. Most claims are resolved at the airline level.
Does it cost anything to file?
Filing with the airline is free. Filing with the CTA is also free. Our tool is free for generating the initial demand letter.
Can claim companies do this for me?
Yes, but they work on commission. AirHelp charges a 35% service fee plus a 15% legal action fee if the case goes legal; AirAdvisor charges 30% pre-trial, 40% on baggage and reimbursement claims, and 50% once external lawyers are involved (published rates, checked August 2026). So a successful payout typically costs you 30-50% of it. With our free letter tool you keep 100% of whatever you recover.