As Toronto Pearson bore the dubious distinction of at last no longer being the worst airport in the world for flight delays (it dropped to second; and Montreal fell to seventh from second), Canada’s transport minister told a House of Commons transport committee that COVID-19 is to blame for airport delays.
More specifically, Omar Alghabra said labour shortages caused by the pandemic are primarily contributing to the situation.
The minister, who appeared via video conference along with a number of other officials, maintained that the government is working on tackling those issues.
He also defended the ArriveCan app, saying it has helped reduce wait times by digitizing the process.
Last month, due to a glitch, ArriveCan instructed about 10,200 travellers to quarantine for 10 days when they didn’t have to, prompting some critics to question why the app would be automating those decisions in the first place, rather than sticking to the information-collection mandate it was launched with.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman asked Alghabra if the federal government bears any responsibility for the delays at airports that have wreaked havoc on travellers for months.
“I blame it on COVID,” Alghabra replied.
Lantsman also asked whether the minister agreed that the federal government should enact a service standard law that would set standards for elements of air travel, such as the length of time customers wait for baggage.
“This is a constructive feedback,” said Alghabra. “Baggage handling is the responsibility of the airlines. Having said that, can we do something to ensure that we have a higher standard? I think that’s a good point.”
Airlines and airports have been grappling with a surge in customers this summer, compounded by staffing shortages affecting both carriers and federal agencies.
Travellers have experienced widespread flight cancellations, baggage delays and lengthy lineups, particularly at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Alghabra said part of the reason Canadian airports have been especially affected by delays is a sharp increase in demand. He said travel surged by 252% between January and August, compared with 63% in the United States.
Some experts have pointed to airlines overbooking flights as being responsible for delays.
Air Canada announced in June that it would cut more than 15% of its schedule in July and August – more than 9,500 flights – due to the strained air transport system. Meanwhile, WestJet said it “proactively” removed flights from its Pearson schedule, anticipating summer travel snarls.
According to Flight tracking service FlightAware, Toronto Pearson (53%) had the highest rate of delays (designated as waits longer than 15 minutes) among the world’s 100 busiest airports from May to July, while Montreal Trudeau (46%) was second. Improvements saw the facilities move to second and seventh respectively (from Aug. 10 to 17, 44% and 39% of flights were delayed at YYZ and YUL).
For arriving passengers, Alghabra said the hiring of 1,700 screening officers and moving random testing offsite has helped ease congestion.
Transport Canada said in a recent statement that it has been working with industry partners to improve conditions at airports and reported fewer cancellations and delays in the first week of August compared with a month ago, prompting Alghabra to state: “Let’s not dismiss the progress that has taken place over the last few weeks.”