A certain lull reigned in front of the Guy-Favreau Complex on Friday morning. The passport office was exceptionally open during the public holiday of June 24, but only to deal with urgent cases by appointment. A few desperate travelers tried their luck anyway. With the many flights canceled and delayed, they may not be at the end of their troubles.
Posted at 12:09 a.m.
“There is no reception, we are not reassured,” says Ayache Adaouri, planted in front of the entrance to the Guy-Favreau Complex.
Friday morning, a handful of travelers were waiting in the hope of obtaining a valid passport, contrasting with the endless queues of the past few days. Open despite the holiday, the Service Canada office only accepted people who presented a coupon, distributed earlier this week.
On the way from The Press, around 10:30 a.m., Mr. Adaouri pleaded his case in front of an employee, without success. On Monday, he has to fly to Algeria for a family obligation. The father of the family says that he was given an appointment orally, but that he never received a coupon.
“We’re worried,” he said, taking over from his wife, who had been in line since 6 a.m.
A few steps further, Aset Sabdulaeva also despairs. She reported to the passport office 48 hours before her flight to New York, as requested by Service Canada. But since she doesn’t have a coupon, she couldn’t get in either. “I am very disappointed,” she breathes.
Disruptions in the airline industry
Those who have spent days and nights outside to obtain a valid passport may not be at the end of their troubles. The massive return of travellers, combined with the lack of staff and the requirements linked to the pandemic, are generating flight delays and even cancellations.
Thursday morning, Catherine Gagnon was on her way to Montreal-Trudeau airport when Air Canada informed her that her flight to Dallas, where she must take professional training, was canceled. Stroke of luck: the young woman managed to find a place on a flight the same evening… which was also canceled.
“It’s silly, because it doesn’t matter. I know that I am privileged. But it was really stressful, I felt it [dans mon corps] “, she says.
By e-mail, Air Canada confirms that “personnel problems at third-party government suppliers” and “problems with the baggage management system” are affecting the operations of air carriers, which are sometimes forced to cancel flights or to “deliver the baggage with some delay”.
Currently, Air Canada has about 1,000 fewer employees than before the pandemic, and provides 80% of the summer 2019 schedule, it is specified.
For its part, Aéroports de Montréal indicates that the labor shortage “affects many partners in the aviation community, which obviously includes the airlines”.
“This is a situation that currently affects the vast majority of international airports around the world,” writes spokesperson Anne-Sophie Hamel.
The European sky was slightly disturbed on Friday by strikes at Brussel Airlines and Ryanair, which are expected to intensify over the weekend. At Ryanair, several flight attendant unions have called for a stoppage of work from Friday and for several days, in Spain, Portugal and Belgium. In Italy and France, the strike should begin this Saturday.
In Belgium, this protest movement forced the Irish company to cancel 127 flights between Friday and Sunday departing from and arriving in Charleroi, where most of its activity is concentrated.
With Agence France-Presse