Air Canada, WestJet cancel more than 4,200 flights in January

Air Canada and WestJet cancelled more than 4,200 flights in the month of January, as the airlines continued to face headwinds due in part to travel restrictions and the Omicron variant. According to data provided by Cirium, an aviation data company, Air Canada cancelled 2,755 flights in the month of January, representing 12% of its total scheduled flights. WestJet cancelled 1,467 flights over the same period, representing 13% of its scheduled flights. Data provided by Cirium show that in January of 2020 when each airline was operating nearly double the flights overall, Air Canada cancelled 6% of its scheduled flights (2,651 in total) while WestJet scrapped 3% (534 total) of its scheduled flights. Airlines often adjust schedules and consolidate flights based on demand. But the emergence of the Omicron variant, subsequent staff shortages and government travel restrictions has complicated airline schedules. While Air Canada did not announce any major schedule reductions for the month of February, the airline previously said it will suspend some flights to sun destinations from Jan. 24 until April 30 due to the pandemic. Suspended destinations include Antigua, Aruba, Samaná, Curaçao, Exuma, Grenada, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Havana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. "Since the pandemic began, we have been adjusting our schedule in response to, among other things, government restrictions, the trajectory of COVID and market conditions," Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said Tuesday. "At this time, we have no update on schedule changes other than those we previously enacted." <br/>