A new poll says a third of Canadians have changed or cancelled their vacation plans due to inflation. In addition to concerns about inflation, Canadians are also feeling the sting of flight delays and cancellations with almost half of Canadians surveyed said they think airlines aren’t reliable when it comes to their departures and arrivals.
The survey by Leger says that of those who have changed their vacation plans, 46% are also cutting back on dining out, found the July survey of 1,526 Canadians.
Inflation slowed to 2.8% in June, but the price of groceries continued to climb, with prices rising 9.1% last month, Statistics Canada said. Lower inflation was led by a decline in gasoline prices compared with last year, the agency reported.
Meanwhile, six in 10 Canadians who have taken at least one flight in the past year said they have experienced flight delays, while two in 10 experienced cancellations. Almost two in 10 experienced baggage delays, while another 10% experienced lost baggage.
Because of these disruptions, more than half of Canadians said they are looking to book only direct flights.
Thirty-five per cent of Canadians said they’re planning to go on vacation this summer, the Leger poll found.
Among those who said they have changed their vacation plans due to inflation, 43% said they are opting for less expensive accommodation options, while 41% are cutting back on activities and attractions and 39% are taking a shorter trip.
In May, Greater Toronto Airports Authority president and CEO Deborah Flint said Pearson Airport had hired 10,000 new employees since the previous summer to handle rising demand, and modernized some of its systems.
Those new hires have helped increase baggage system reliability, cut security wait times and decreased holds on board aircraft, Flint announced Tuesday.
However, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing this summer. Over the Canada Day long weekend, Air Canada delayed or cancelled almost 2,000 flights, with passengers posting photos online of long lines and busy terminals that hearkened back to last year’s chaos.
The airline at the time said it may take longer to recover from an issue along the system when a network is running at full tilt, and said thunderstorms in the Montreal area and the US contributed to the disruptions.