An airline carrier must notify the community if it proposes to reduce domestic air service to a community. Notice must be given if the airline plans to:

• discontinue a service, resulting in only one or no carriers serving a point;
• reduce the frequency of a service to less than one flight per week, resulting in only one or no carriers providing service to that point at least once per week; or
• discontinue a year-round, non-stop, scheduled air service between two points in Canada, resulting in significantly reduced seating capacity on that route.

In these situations, the carrier must notify the affected communities at least 120 days before discontinuing or reducing the service. If the carrier has served the point for less than one year, it must give 30 days notice. In addition, the carrier must give elected officials of the affected communities an opportunity to discuss the impact of its proposal.

If you believe that a carrier has not properly notified the community as described above, you may contact the Secretariat to file a complaint.