How To Claim Up To $1,000 When Airlines Blame Your Delay On Maintenance

One of the last things you want to happen before a trip (or when you’re getting back from one) is a delayed flight. While there’s tons of reasons for a flight delay, whether that be weather or air traffic congestion, sometimes it’s because of sudden maintenance—which doesn’t always mean you’re entitled to any monetary compensation.

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But a recent investigation is looking into some of Canada’s biggest airlines. It suggests that some of those safety-related maintenance issues resulted in flights being cancelled under false pretenses.

Air Canada and WestJet Investigations

On November 3, 2026, Toronto-based aviation law firm Rochon Genova announced that it is investigating Air Canada, WestJet, and other airlines’ usage of safety-related maintenance exemptions under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (“APPR”) in order to deny compensation to passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled.

The press release notes that the firm is investigating Air Canada, WestJet, and other airlines for informing passengers that their flights were delayed or cancelled due to safety-related maintenance issues, while flight records indicated that the aircraft originally scheduled to operate those flights were afterward used on other routes.

Compensation Amounts from Airline Delays

While you can claim compensation on flight disruptions, the APPR only allows that to happen if the disruption is non-safety-related. Other reasons, such as outside airline control and safety-required, do not result in you getting any money back.

This basically means that real safety issues make airlines legally exempt from paying compensation, but Rochon Genova’s investigation is looking into whether or not those alleged safety-related maintenance issues were truly for safety reasons.

According to the press release, “under the APPR, passengers whose arrival is delayed and/or cancelled by three hours or more are entitled to compensation of up to $1,000 where the disruption is within the airline’s control and is not required for safety.”

While the investigation is still underway, you may soon be able to claim up to $1,000 if it becomes a class action.