Flying Flair, Porter, Air Transat or Sunwing? Your Compensation Is Different

## Small carrier, smaller cheque — but still real money The APPR sets lower compensation for "small" carriers (fewer than 2 million passengers/year). Flair, Porter, Air Transat and Sunwing all fall in this bucket: | Arrival delay | Small carrier | (Large carrier, for comparison) | |---|---|---| | 3–6 hours | **$125** | $400 | | 6–9 hours | **$250** | $700 | | 9+ hours | **$500** | $1,000 | Two important exceptions where small carriers pay the SAME as large ones: 1. **Denied boarding** (oversold flight): $900–$2,400 for everyone. 2. **Baggage**: Montreal Convention liability (roughly $2,300) applies to all carriers on international itineraries. ## The catch with ultra-low-cost carriers Budget airlines run tighter operations — fewer spare aircraft, fewer crews, less slack. That means a higher chance of the kind of "within control" operational delay that qualifies for compensation. It also means rebooking obligations bite harder: a small carrier that can't rebook you within 48 hours must offer a **refund AND $400** if you choose not to travel — or book you on another airline. ## Standards of treatment apply to everyone From 2 hours of delay: food, drink, communication. Overnight: hotel and transport. If a budget carrier tells you "we don't do hotels," that's not how the law works — pay, keep receipts, and claim it back. ## Claiming from a budget airline The process is identical: written claim → 30 days to respond → CTA escalation. Budget carriers rely heavily on template denials; documented, correctly-cited follow-ups are where claims get paid. Check your Flair, Porter, Transat or Sunwing flight free with AirDelays. *General information, not legal advice.*