Jacob Charbonneau, CEO of Vol En Late, notes an increase in complaints related to canceled, delayed or otherwise disrupted flights.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
“It is certain that as there is more and more capacity […] it increases the number of flight-related problems,” observes Mr. Charbonneau, whose company helps customers obtain compensation from airlines. “These days, it is almost doubling from month to month in terms of the number of complaints. »
Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) indicates that its most recent data shows a recovery of approximately 72% of passenger transport compared to 2019. “We are still collecting our data for the month of May, but we can estimate a recovery nearly 80% of traffic,” said spokesperson Eric Forest. Toronto Pearson Airport had not responded to requests for The Press at the time of publishing.
But more than just the resumption of air travel, the lack of staff and certain restrictions have contributed to this increase, according to the stakeholders consulted by The Press.
“Personnel issues at third-party suppliers have hurt airport and airline operations,” said Pascale Déry, spokesperson for Air Canada.
Long airport processing times and other restrictions have resulted in flight delays and sometimes even cancellations, which can have a snowball effect on our customers.
Pascale Déry, spokesperson for Air Canada
Air Transat simply states that “no cancellations are expected due to staff shortages”.
” On the side of [l’Aéroport international Montréal-Trudeau (YUL)], the delays due to the labor shortage are felt more particularly during peak periods,” explains Mr. Forest. But so far, “our partners are succeeding in limiting waiting times and limiting the impacts for passengers,” he says.
However, nearly 160 flights were canceled “in addition to numerous delays” Thursday evening due to the storm that affected the metropolitan area.
Difficulties encountered elsewhere in the world
Canadian airports are not alone in experiencing difficulties. In the United States, more than 1,500 flights were canceled on Thursday, one of the worst waves of cancellations so far, as the peak holiday season arrives.
Airports at Gatwick in London and Amsterdam-Schiphol in the Netherlands have announced plans to limit the number of daily flights this summer to avoid the chaos of recent weeks caused by numerous flight cancellations and staff shortages. .
“As we speak, it would be premature to consider this option,” said the ADM spokesperson, however. “Our teams interact daily with air carriers and government agencies. »
The return to work of unvaccinated employees from Monday could alleviate the problems facing Canada’s largest air transport hubs. Ottawa announced on Tuesday that federal employees would no longer have to be fully vaccinated starting Monday, lifting a requirement imposed on airlines, rail and shipping companies in October.
With Agence France-Presse, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press