Call it a canary in the coal mine – social media these days seems flush with reports (and images) of people breezing through airport terminals, the implication being it ain’t as bad as they say. Importantly, this anecdotal evidence is now supported by Transport Canada statistics suggesting that traveller delays are diminishing, and, indeed, getting better every day.

In what has now become a weekly accounting of the situation on the ground – before and after travellers are in the air – the report (always expansively attributed to the ministers of transport, health, public safety, and tourism) recounts ongoing initiatives, such as dialogue between stakeholders, staff hirings, policy tweaks, and technological advancements, all designed to ease ongoing flight delays and general customs chaos.

To that end, this week’s data, which encompasses 1.4 million arrivals (as defined by ArriveCan usage) during the period Aug. 15-21, includes:

Flight completions

98% of flights planned for Canada’s top four airports were completed (i.e., not cancelled), an improvement from 95% for the first week of July. This is the same as the week of Aug. 19-25, 2019, when 98% of flights planned for the top four airports were completed.

On-time performance

Over 86% of flights from the top four airports left on time, or within one hour of their scheduled departure. This is a significant improvement from under 75% for the first week of July and is approaching the pre-pandemic levels in August 2019 where 92% of flights were on time, or within an hour of scheduled departure.

Holding of aircraft at YYZ

The number of arriving international flights being held on the tarmac at Toronto-Pearson International Airport has decreased dramatically since May. For the week of Aug. 15-21, 2%, or 47 international flight arrivals, were held on the tarmac, as compared to the peak of 373 during the first week of May.

Passenger security screening wait times

85% of passengers at the four largest airports were screened within 15 minutes by CATSA, an improvement from 79% during the first week of July.

• Toronto-Pearson International Airport: 81% (96% in 2019)
• Vancouver International Airport: 86% (approaching pre-pandemic levels of 88% in 2019)
• Montréal-Trudeau International Airport: 94% (approaching pre-pandemic levels of 98% in 2019)
• Calgary International Airport: 87% (same as pre-pandemic levels in 2019)