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
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.