Air Canada Faces Delays and Cancellations, Prompting Passenger Frustration

Air Canada experienced significant logistical challenges over the Canada Day long weekend, resulting in the delay or cancellation of approximately 2,000 flights at Pearson Airport in Mississauga and other airports across the country. FlightAware, an online tracking service, reported that more than half of Air Canada’s flights were affected between last Saturday and this past Monday. The disruptions included flights operated by Air Canada Rouge, the airline’s low-cost subsidiary, and regional partner Jazz Aviation.

According to FlightAware, Air Canada reported a total of 1,965 flight delays and cancellations from July 1 to 3, as the peak summer travel season entered full swing. During the same period, approximately 600,000 customers boarded Air Canada planes.

In addition to logistical challenges, thunderstorms in Montreal and parts of the U.S. also had an impact on flights. However, other Canadian airlines such as WestJet, Air Transat, and Flair experienced considerably fewer disruptions to their flights.

The widespread flight disruptions sparked a wave of complaints on social media, with numerous travelers expressing anger and frustration about facing delays, cancellations, and long queues at Pearson and Montreal airports, as well as other major Canadian hubs. This situation was reminiscent of the chaos witnessed last summer when similar issues plagued airports as air travel rebounded after the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Air Canada has stated that it is fully staffed, employing more personnel than in the summer of 2019, despite operating fewer flights. This unsettling start to Air Canada’s summer flying season coincides with ongoing negotiations between the company and its pilots for a new contract. The current agreement is set to expire on September 29.