Poll suggests travellers know little about air-passenger rights

New polling results suggest many people boarding flights this holiday season don't know about the Liberal government's new regime outlining air passengers' rights.

A Canadian Automobile Association-commissioned poll being made public today found that just over half of respondents said they hadn't heard or read anything about the rules aiming to protect flyers caught in travel nightmares.

The Leger poll of 1,517 respondents was conducted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, but can't be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.

The first set of passenger-rights rules landed in mid-July and required airlines to compensate and respond to tarmac delays, denied boardings and lost or damaged luggage.

The final set of rules take effect this weekend and will require airlines to seat parents beside or near their children at no extra cost, and compensate flyers for delays and cancellations within an airline's control.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau is scheduled to discuss the introduction of the new set of rules during an event this morning at Ottawa's airport.