Canadian airlines seeing more flight delays than U.S. carriers, data shows
Canada’s two biggest airlines saw a far higher proportion of their flights delayed than many of their American peers, according to figures from an aviation data firm. Overall, only half of Air Canada’s flights were on time between June 19 and July 16, statistics provided by Cirium reveal. In comparison, 64% of WestJet’s flights touched down on time. Flights are considered on time if they touch down with 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time. The numbers contrast with on-time performances that range between 68 nd 83% for the five biggest airlines in the United States. Several reasons underlie the tarmac tardiness, which falls well below the general industry goal of 80 per cent on-time flights. To meet soaring summer demand – Air Canada now transports 140,000 passengers a day – airlines are running their planes too frequently, said John Gradek, a lecturer at McGill University’s aviation management program. The practice can result in hitches that hold up travellers across the country. “The existing airplanes are working harder,” he said. That leaves less time for maintenance between flights and overnight. “If you don’t give the mechanics enough time to fix the snags on a regular turn, those snags will catch up to you. And then you now have an unserviceable airplane that cannot be dispatched.” Half of Air Canada’s 18 A330 wide-bodies and most of its 76 Airbus A319, A320 and A321 narrow-bodies _ more than 40 per cent of its fleet _ are well over two decades old.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-07-26/star/canadian-airlines-seeing-more-flight-delays-than-u-s-carriers-data-shows
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Canadian airlines seeing more flight delays than U.S. carriers, data shows
Canada’s two biggest airlines saw a far higher proportion of their flights delayed than many of their American peers, according to figures from an aviation data firm. Overall, only half of Air Canada’s flights were on time between June 19 and July 16, statistics provided by Cirium reveal. In comparison, 64% of WestJet’s flights touched down on time. Flights are considered on time if they touch down with 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time. The numbers contrast with on-time performances that range between 68 nd 83% for the five biggest airlines in the United States. Several reasons underlie the tarmac tardiness, which falls well below the general industry goal of 80 per cent on-time flights. To meet soaring summer demand – Air Canada now transports 140,000 passengers a day – airlines are running their planes too frequently, said John Gradek, a lecturer at McGill University’s aviation management program. The practice can result in hitches that hold up travellers across the country. “The existing airplanes are working harder,” he said. That leaves less time for maintenance between flights and overnight. “If you don’t give the mechanics enough time to fix the snags on a regular turn, those snags will catch up to you. And then you now have an unserviceable airplane that cannot be dispatched.” Half of Air Canada’s 18 A330 wide-bodies and most of its 76 Airbus A319, A320 and A321 narrow-bodies _ more than 40 per cent of its fleet _ are well over two decades old.<br/>
