Montreal Convention

The Montreal Convention of 1999 became effective November 4, 2003, after it was ratified by the requisite 30 countries. The Montreal Convention is a combination of the original Warsaw Convention of 1929, the Hague Protocol, Montreal Protocols 3 and 4, Guatemala City Protocol and Guadalajara Supplementary Convention of 1961.

How does the Montreal Convention affect travelers?

The Montreal Convention gives passengers much broader protection when injured on international flights. Under the Montreal Convention, a carrier is liable without proof of fault, in the event of death or bodily injury of a passenger caused by an accident on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking. Also important is that if any part of a passenger’s itinerary has an international component, then the convention will apply to the entire trip. For example, if a passenger travels from McAllen, Texas, to Dallas-Fort Worth to London and an accident occurs on the domestic McAllen to Dallas-Fort Worth portion of the flight, the Montreal Convention would still apply.

For additional information about the Montreal Convention and how it may pertain to injuries that occured during an international trip, please contact our office.

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