Canada: Airlines must be accountable for flight problems: transport minister

Travellers, experts and now Canada's transport minister are casting an increasingly wary eye on airlines' role in the travel turbulence playing out at airports across the country, with many calling for carriers to take more ownership of the issue. The federal government has been scrambling to respond to scenes of endless lines, flight delays and daily turmoil at airports - particularly Toronto's Pearson airport - a problem the aviation industry has blamed on a shortage of federal security and customs officers. “Airlines have a duty as well. We're hearing some stories about luggage issues and flights cancelling. So cancellation - we want to make sure that the airlines as well do their part,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told reporters Tuesday in Ottawa. “We're making sure that the airlines keep up their end of the bargain.” John Gradek, head of McGill University's aviation management program, says airlines have used Ottawa as a “scapegoat” while scheduling more flights than they have staff or planes to provide, resulting in delays and cancellations. “The airlines basically have shot themselves in the foot by really throwing a lot more capacity at the world than they have resources to be able to handle,” he said. “They're being very aggressive in the marketplace, getting lots of traffic - airplanes are often at 90% load factor - and don't have any idle assets hanging around just in case things go wrong. And then that's a formula for disaster when things do start to go wrong.” Passengers receive last-minute emails informing them of repeated delays, aircraft changes or rebookings scheduled days after the original departure time. Reasons cited run the gamut from absent pilots and occupied baggage handlers to unplanned mechanical maintenance.<br/>