The short answer
You have one year from the day of the delay or cancellation to send your claim to the airline. It then has 30 daysto pay or explain why not. If it refuses or stays silent, you can complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).
The timeline
| When | What |
|---|---|
| The day of the flight | Keep everything in writing: the reason the airline gave, notifications, boarding passes, receipts. |
| Within 1 year | Send your compensation claim to the airline that operated the flight, in writing. |
| 30 days after the airline receives it | It must pay you, or explain why it won’t. |
| After those 30 days, if unresolved | Complain to the CTA. It’s free; the CTA warns reviews can take a long time. |
| Within 2 years (international trips) | Separately, court action for damages caused by delay under the Montreal Convention. Most people never need this. |
Why “in writing” matters
The regulation only says you must file a request, but if you later complain to the CTA you must show you contacted the airline in writing: emails, online forms with a confirmation, or chat messages with replies, as screenshots or copies. Phone calls and recordings don’t count as proof.
Refunds have their own clock
When an airline owes you a refund for a cancelled or badly delayed flight, it must pay it within 30 days.
Delayed months ago?
If your flight was less than a year ago, you can still claim. Use the free check to see what you’re owed, then send your claim well before the anniversary, so you have time to follow up if the airline doesn’t answer.
Warned more than 14 days ahead?
If the airline told you about the change more than 14 days before departure, the APPR compensation amounts don’t apply, so there’s no compensation deadline to track. Your rebooking and refund rights still apply.