NewLeaf Travel blocks reporter after TICO Clarifies report

July 29, 2016 report: “Ontario law governing NewLeaf internet sales has “deficiency”, Statutory Registrar acknowledges”
July 27, 2016 report: “TICO Clarifies NewLeaf Offers Ontario Flyers Limited Protection”
July 23, 2016 report: “Chat with Air Passenger Rights Advocate Lukacs re: urgent NewLeaf injunction”
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“You are blocked from following @newleaftravel and viewing @newleaftravel‘s Tweets.“

20160728 NewLeaf Travel blocks reporter

After interviewing Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) senior executive in order to write the in-depth article “TICO Clarifies NewLeaf Offers Ontario Flyers Limited Protection“, this reporter is surprised to discover being immediately “blocked from following @newleaftravel and viewing @newleaftravel‘s Tweets“this morning.

May be in NewLeaf Travel’s brave new world of Ultra Low-Cost Travel, “freedom of press” (s. 2 (b) protection is a luxury item above and beyond the bare-bone “seat and a seat belt” option NewLeaf offers its customers? Wow, lets just block the media from reporting and may be there will be no more reports?

After the TICO Clarifies report, this reporter was hoping to be able to talk to Mr. Jim Young, CEO NewLeaf (or a NewLeaf senior executive), to have Jim answering questions raised in the article and clarifying any factual errors in the report.

This reporter will obviously be more than happy to review any factual errors, carefully review them and then correcting any proven factual errors in the story to have the proven facts of the case fairly presented.

Flowery words of “we are kinda like Expedia … but with wings” for NewLeaf at some point will have to meet hard facts of Mr. Young giving an essentially two words answer in his July 23 affidavit to describe NewLeaf as a “travel agent“.

In fact, based on what this reporter can gather from an extensive interview with TICO senior executive, NewLeaf is not even a registered “travel agent“ yet (not fixed time of “when” as of Monday July 25) and doesn’t even have TICO protection funds protecting the few passengers who actually transacting at the physical check-in counters at Hamilton Airport Check-in counter. For now, the very limited protection NewLeaf passengers get compare to Air Canada/WestJet air passengers are rather shocking (see TICO Clarifies report).

In NewLeaf’s brave new world of Ultra Low-Cost Travel, it is hard to tell what laws are NewLeaf exempted from following. Of course, whether NewLeaf is legally exempted or is simply acting above the law, that is entirely up to NewLeaf’s Statutory Registrar and the courts.

And on this last note, this reporter has asked for clarification form Mr. Richard Smart, Statutory Registrar, Chief Executive Officer & President of TICO and is awaiting his answers and clarifications of some of the questions I have. Stay tuned.