Flight delays and cancellations, missing luggage disrupt air travel over Canada Day long weekend

The Canada Day long weekend saw a continuation of summer travel chaos at Canada’s major airports, which have been hammered by a surge of travellers and a shortage of airline, security and customs workers. Some of the worst delays were in Montreal and Toronto, where check-in lineups stretched to the entrances of the terminals. South of the border, the Fourth of July long weekend led to US airports being jammed with their biggest crowds since the pandemic began in 2020. Because of the continuing airport disruptions, last week Air Canada cancelled roughly 10 to 15% of its flight schedule for July and August, a crucial period in which airlines make much of their profit. Air Canada has said some of the issues are beyond its control, as short-staffed airports struggle to handle an immense amount of baggage sitting in terminals. Canadian airlines and airport operators have also blamed the federal government for security staffing shortages that have created bottlenecks at screening points. WestJet spokesperson Madison Kruger said the airline has tried to alleviate stress on its system by consolidating some flights. “Despite our consistent and proactive efforts, there remains significant operational challenges across the Canadian aviation ecosystem that fall outside of our control, contributing to significant delays and at times cancellation,” she said. Neither airline, nor the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which operates Pearson Airport, had statistics available about the number of flight cancellations and delays during the Canada Day weekend.<br/>