Air Canada delayed or cancelled nearly 2,000 flights over the Canada Day long weekend, potentially foreshadowing more trouble ahead for passengers.
Roughly half of all trips by the country’s biggest airline — including its lower-cost Air Canada Rouge and regional partner Jazz Aviation — were disrupted Saturday through Monday, according to figures from tracking service FlightAware.
The 1,965 flight delays and cancellations — affecting more than 52 per cent of scheduled flights — stand in contrast to numbers from other Canadian carriers including WestJet, Air Transat and Flair Airlines, which registered lower flight disruption levels.
The numbers also mark an uptick from the previous weekend, despite an unexpected shortage of air traffic controllers at Nav Canada that snarled travel during that period.
Posts and photos of snaking lines and bulging terminals at airports in Toronto and Montreal popped up on social media over the past few days, as passengers vented their frustrations about late takeoffs and customer service in a throwback to scenes of post-pandemic airport chaos a year ago.
Pearson International, 2 pm. Air Canada delays (and a few cancellations). <a href=”https://t.co/lxtioZ8dhK”>pic.twitter.com/lxtioZ8dhK</a>
—@ianhanomansing
Air Canada pointed out that the air travel sector is now in the throes of its summer peak, with 140,000-plus customers boarding the airline’s planes daily.
“Our top priority is to ensure everyone travels safely, even if it requires extra time,” spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said in an email.
Nonetheless, disruption figures have been trending upward over the past few weeks, said John Gradek, who teaches at McGill University’s aviation management program. Crowded flight schedules and crew shortages play a role in peak season, he said, since it’s harder to find a spare plane or pilot to help fill a gap when each aircraft is flying more.
“There’s a lot of people flying, planes are full, and there’s very little operational reliability or operational backup,” Gradek said.
“If an airplane craps out, for whatever reason — mechanical things do happen — you’ve got to fix the airplane before you go. So you automatically take these monstrous delays or you cancel.”
Air Canada is juggling a more “tightly wound” schedule after the industry-wide revenue collapse prompted by COVID-19 travel restrictions, Gradek added, with the company operating at roughly 90 per cent of its pre-pandemic flight capacity.
The carrier echoed that message, pointing out that it may take longer to recover from a wrench in the gears when any system runs at full tilt.
“For example, when thunderstorms halt our operation, as we saw over the recent weekend in the U.S. northeast, we may require more time than scheduled to get aircraft into position for their next flights,” Fitzpatrick said.
He added that Air Canada is fully staffed, with more employees than in the summer of 2019, despite running fewer flights.
Savanthi Syth, an analyst at Raymond James, said in a May 17 note to investors that flight demand is “still recovering … particularly in long-haul international and commercial” travel — areas that Air Canada especially has depended on. In that kind of environment, it makes sense to rely on tight-packed schedules and fewer planes.
On Monday, Air Canada, Rouge and Jazz flights notched on-time numbers of between 50 per cent and 54 per cent across the country, according to FlightAware, though the number was lower at Toronto’s Pearson airport. In contrast, WestJet hit 77 per cent nationwide and 72 per cent from Pearson.
Several other reasons explain the difference between Air Canada and its smaller competitors.
Air Canada has many more international flights, which means that problems across the border or the ocean have a more significant effect on the airline.
United Airlines, a codeshare partner, saw the highest percentage of flight disruptions of any major U.S. carrier over the past week, causing problems for Air Canada as well.
Air Canada and Rouge passengers had their travel plans disrupted by problems with the airline’s flight communicator system in early June. Hundreds of flights were delayed and dozens more were cancelled.
The storms from recent days struck Central Canada and the U.S. northeast, affecting Air Canada more than rival WestJet, which sticks more to western skies.
Meanwhile, Nav Canada said there were no delays linked to the country’s air navigation service at the Pearson or Trudeau airports over the weekend, unlike the one before.
“As for the recent delays experienced at Toronto Pearson and Trudeau airports, we can confirm that they were primarily due to thunderstorms,” spokesperson Maryam Amini said in an email.
Weather, runway construction and other infrastructure work are “by far the most frequent source of delays, with many parties involved,” from contractors to security and baggage handling agencies, she said.
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
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The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
—
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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