‘Expect delays,’ chaos at Canadian airports will last through summer: Expert

There may be no end in sight to the chaos travellers have been experiencing at Canada’s major airports in recent weeks, according to one aviation expert.

John Gradek, a coordinator for the International Aviation program at Montreal’s McGill University, tells CityNews the problems will likely persist for months. He advised that anyone travelling before the end of summer should be prepared to pack their patience.

“It’s the airline’s own doing,” he says. “We’re not going to get away from these peak demand seasons, and I think we are in for this until Labour Day.”

The demand for travel as restrictions lift post-pandemic is being met with a short-staffed airline industry. The scenario has created a nightmare situation at airports across the country with delays, cancellations, and luggage sitting at a standstill. The problems have hit the airports in the countries two largest cities the hardest, with Toronto’s Pearson Airport and Montreal-Trudeau Airport bearing the brunt of the mayhem.

“It’s still a mess,” says Gradek.

“If I had a choice, I would rather wait for this mess to fix itself. If I didn’t have a choice, I would be very careful of picking the way I fly.”

The heart of the issue is the tens of thousands of staff the airline industry lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry was forced to shut down and, as a result, needed to reduce its workforce through layoffs and early retirements.

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One traveller trying to get to Calgary tells CityNews she has been stranded with her family at Pearson due to continued flight delays. Daissie Dellin is travelling with her mother and two children, including a 1-year-old infant who has a heart problem.

“We are all exhausted and tired,” says Daissie Dellin. “I even cried in front of the staff.”

Gradek says airlines looking to recover financially following two years of pandemic life saw the increased demand for travel and did not correctly anticipate the subsequent staffing problems.

“Along with those people they let go, there was a loss of centuries of experience,” he says. “Now we find the system required for those passengers to go through the airport, inbound or outbound, is not sufficiently staffed.”

“They saw demand skyrocketing and decided to put a lot of traffic out there. We’re finding out they may have wound themselves up too tight.”

Meg Vandzura is planning to travel to Europe in August to attend a wedding in Serbia, but the ongoing problems have left her feeling anxious about her flight out of Montreal.

“I’m kind of optimistic, but at the same time not really,” she says. “My expectations are to have delays and be nervous and stressed.”

Gradek says the best bet for travellers who have to fly is to ensure they leave long wait times between connecting flights and steer clear of afternoon and evening flights. He also recommends avoiding Pearson and Trudeau airports if possible.

“Look at your travel plans for the summer of 2022 as an adventure,” he says. “Be prepared for disruptions and have some flexibility.”

Cancelled flights could compound problems for travellers

Air Canada and WestJet announced they’re cutting back on flights this summer to deal with the staffing problems.

Gradek says he does not believe the cancellation of flights will relieve the issues at airports, saying Air Canada has explicitly not chosen to cancel enough flights during peak periods.

“No international changes are being made, except for slight timing changes, but nothing to look at reducing the volume and the extent of passengers attracted at the airport.”

He suggests the problem could even be compounded with thousands of passengers scrambling to rebook after having their travel plans altered.

“You’re caught between a rock and a hard place in the summer of 2022. You cancel flights and reduce the airport load, but then you have passenger obstruction.”

Air Canada told CityNews it planned to start reducing its schedule last week, on average by 77 round trips per day in July and August, adding it used to operate 1,000 trips a day.

On Saturday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra stressed the federal government was doing what it could to help reduce airport delays.

Hiring more than 1,000 Canadian Air Transport Security Authority screening officers, suspending mandatory random COVID-19 testing in airports, and maximizing officer availability was among the measures he listed that have been taken since the start of May.

In a written statement to CityNews, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) said it’s asking domestic passengers to arrive for their flights at least two hours ahead of time. For departing international travellers, the recommendation is to arrive at least three hours early.

With files from Cormac Mac Sweeney of CityNews