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Concerns Remain for Travel Agents and Flying Public After Grounding of Boeing 737 Max 8 Aircraft

ACTA Says Stay Informed of New Developments in Weeks and Months Ahead


It took just a few days before the deadly crash of a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Ethiopia raised enough safety concerns to result in the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max planes worldwide, but the lingering impacts of the crash and the groundings will take much longer to resolve.

ACTA has worked hard this week to keep our Members updated on rapidly changing developments from official sources. We will continue to do so because your concerns about safety, liability issues, re-bookings, cancellations and other issues did not end with Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s Wednesday announcement that “restricts commercial passenger flights from any air operator, both domestic and foreign, of the Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft from arriving, departing or overflying Canadian airspace.”

The Minister’s safety notice was effective immediately and will remain in place until further notice. Learn More.

The announcement had an immediate impact on Canadian airlines, Travel Agents, and passengers:

  • Canadian Airlines were quick to comply with the grounding of the Boeing Max fleet and are working on rebooking passengers. Learn more
  • It is important that Travel Agents understand their responsibilities concerning Transport Canada’s safety notice. ACTA immediately contacted all provincial regulatory authorities for their official statements to registrants and consumers. We have already posted online TICO’s Bulletin to Registrants outlining the responsibilities of travel agents in relation to the grounding of Boeing Max fleet and the impacts on travelers. Learn More. Provincial regulations may vary, and we will post regulations from across Canada as soon as they become available.

As professional travel agents, your customers rely on you for your expertise and they will expect you to stay informed about changing developments in relation to the Boeing Max fleet and how it may impact their travel choices.

ACTA has heard from many of our members and as expected, we are impressed with how proactive our members are, and providing excellent customer service during times of uncertainty. This is a true testament of the value of booking with an ACTA travel agency member.

As your trade association, ACTA is committed to providing you with on-going updates on acta.ca to keep you informed about developments that impact your business and your customers.


For more information, please contact:
Marco Pozzobon
Director, Marketing, Communications & Partnerships | ACTA
905-282-9294 ext.123
mpozzobon@acta.ca