The Quebec Court of Appeal is ordering Air Canada to pay passengers more than $10 million in damages in a class action lawsuit that alleged they were charged higher amounts than the ticket price advertised.
In a ruling Tuesday, Justice Judith Harvie wrote that Air Canada showed “ignorance and laxity” when the airline concluded it was exempt from a provision of the provincial Consumer Protection Act.
The decision overturns a lower court decision that found Air Canada had breached the law but that no harm resulted, eliminating the need for punitive damages.
The 15-year-old case was brought forward by a consumer advocacy group and a Montreal resident who said he was charged $124 more in taxes, fees and surcharges than the fare price listed during the first step of the ticket-buying process on Air Canada’s website….