WestJet Airlines is asking the federal government to allow airlines to recover passenger compensation costs from other aviation industry partners, if it believes those partners played a role in causing flight delays or disruptions.The CEO of the Calgary-based airline, Alexis von Hoensbroech, made the comments in Calgary on Wednesday during a Chamber of Commerce event.He said while he supports the air passenger bill of rights instituted in Canada in 2019, which outlines how airlines must communicate and reimburse or compensate travellers for everything from delayed flights to damaged luggage, airlines don’t operate in a vacuum.There’s airports, there’s navigation, there’s security, there’s border control, there’s ground handlers,” von Hoensbroech told reporters, adding that none of these parties are subject to the existing air passenger protection regulations the way that airlines are.Whatever happens, it’s always the airline, and the airline basically becomes the insurance company for the entire industry,” he said.”If you want an aviation sector that collectively produces a reliable product for our guests, then there has to be some shared accountability.”
