Maritime airports continue to combat challenges that cascade from Toronto, Montreal chaos
Whether its airlines, airports, or the federal government’s ArriveCan app, who to blame for the chaos facing Canada’s travel industry continues to be a question for thousands of passengers.
New Brunswick's education minister lashed out at Air Canada over the weekend, saying the airline is incompetent because it decided on the weekend to cancel a Monday flight that would have taken him and four officials to a meeting in Regina.
Dominic Cardy posted a series of tweets Saturday, saying the cancellation -- announced earlier that day -- means New Brunswick will not have representation at this year's meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education.
Cardy followed up by calling for deregulation of Canada's airline industry.
"I'm speaking for myself," he wrote. "I hope Canadians start asking why we pay more for flights than anyone in the world, in exchange for terrible service. Paying for unavailable services isn't left versus right. It's called being ripped off."
It’s the second time in less than a month Cardy has complained about the industry.
While Pearson has seen some of the worst travel experiences so far this year, Richard Vanderlubbe, an Association of Canadian Travel Agencies director and president of tripcentral.ca, says delays at larger airports can cascade to smaller ones.
It has caused Air Canada to cutback some of its regular flights in every Atlantic province over the summer, mostly to and from Montreal and Toronto.
“You might be affected by a delay in Pearson and you're an airport away, not realizing it,” he told CTV News Channel. "It's one of those things that's like a tightly tuned drumhead. There's not much slack in the system."
That cascade is exactly what many Maritime airports are experiencing.
"It's a network. So the planes have to go somewhere or they have to come from somewhere and that's where we're seeing our challenges," said Kate O’Rourke, manager of public relations at the Fredericton International Airport.
Fredericton lost one Montreal flight through Air Canada, but O’Rourke says the airline has made other changes too.
"They've also made the planes on the other flights larger. So they're really kind of trying to work within what they've got - and all the other carriers are doing that – and trying to fly less at the peak hours and more at the off hours to even out that load a little bit," she said.
Some airlines have been able to avoid the problems plaguing the major ones.
Porter Airlines – which services most Maritime cities – isn’t planning to make any changes in its summer schedule.
"Billy Bishop Airport is running relatively well compared to larger airports and we have resources in place for the period. It will be a busy time, with a comparable number of passengers to 2019,” the airline said in a statement.
With files from CTV News and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Another suspect arrested in Toronto Pearson airport gold heist: police
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Poilievre-led government 'would never' use notwithstanding clause on abortion, his office says
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Cyclist strikes child crossing the street to catch school bus in Montreal
A video circulating on social media of a young girl being hit by a bike has some calling for better safety and more caution when designing bike lanes in the city. The video shows a four-year-old girl crossing Jeanne-Mance Street in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood to get on a school bus stopped on the opposite side of the street
BREAKING 6 injured in Sharbot Lake, Ont. crash; 2 in life-threatening condition
Ontario Provincial Police say six people have suffered severe injuries in a single-vehicle crash in Sharbot Lake, Ont, including two in life-threatening condition.