Even if it subsidizes plane tickets with millions, the Legault government still has no “fair portrait” of the reliability of regional service, learned The Press. Quebec is also in the dark as to the reasons for the multiple cancellations.
“No public data [n’est] available to establish an accurate portrait of Quebec,” reveals a document presented Tuesday to the Standing Committee on Regional Air Transport, which met for the first time since its creation last February.
This government presentation, which The Press was able to consult, recognizes that flight delays and cancellations are strongly criticized by regional players. This document is essentially a “status report”. In particular, it provides an update on the number of subsidized tickets purchased since the implementation of the Regional Action Support Program (PAAR).
Labor scarcity, parts shortages, regulatory changes and weather conditions are cited to explain the lack of reliability. It is also a “global phenomenon” in the context of a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is written.
A file of The Press published on Thursday revealed how frequent air travel contingencies are in the region and how these hazards generate uncertainty, discontent and anger. The Legault government nevertheless qualifies its measure of $500 tickets as a “success” while a third of the packages offered have found takers.
INFOGRAPHIC THE PRESS
The $500 Ticket Program
Why so much turbulence in Quebec? The Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) has confirmed that it does not know “the precise causes” of these disruptions. For the moment, it is at the mercy of airlines and public sites to assess the reliability of the service and hopes to remedy it.
“The committee has asked the carriers to clarify the data to paint a more accurate picture of the situation,” spokesperson Louis-André Bertrand said in an email on Thursday.
Guilbault does not answer
It was not possible to find out more. Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault stormed past journalists upon her arrival at the Salon Bleu on Thursday. “Excuse me, I’m late. I’ll get back to you later,” she said. The Press after the question period. His firm then declined our interview request.
“It does not surprise me, I am in the air transport every week to come here [à Québec] “, argued the Minister of Employment and Member of Parliament for Duplessis, Kateri Champagne Jourdain, who lives in Sept-Îles.
“I fly, I see the shortcomings, I see the reliability issues, especially in the postponement of flights, I also suffer these consequences,” she added, saying she trusted the work of the committee.
Show firmness
Quebec City’s inability to obtain data surprised aviation expert and McGill University lecturer John Gradek. According to this former senior executive of Air Canada, the Legault government is entitled to show firmness, given the sums committed to subsidize plane tickets.
“There needs to be cooperation between the airlines and the program sponsor to share the data,” says Gradek. Carriers must put their cards on the table. Here’s what was planned, here’s what happened, and here’s the level of attendance. It is thanks to this government subsidy that connections still exist. »
In his opinion, the communication of statistics concerning the punctuality and reliability of connections is “necessary” for the continuation of the Government’s Program.
Airlines very rarely disclose data that allows the reliability of their service to be assessed. Specialized firms like Cirium are able to compile data from, for example, automated reservation systems to paint a picture.
However, the exercise is more complex when it comes to small carriers and regional airports.
A committee criticized
The PQ MP for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau, criticized Thursday the presence of air carriers in the standing committee on regional air transport.
“I don’t see what they are going to bring as a solution to their own turpitude in the delivery of air transport services, he lamented. We wonder how we will find solutions outside the box if it is the carriers who justify their service. I don’t think we can be judge and party in this case. That the carriers are part of the solution, but that we can take an objective, neutral and independent look, that’s what counts, then that we do it quickly. »
Mr. Arseneau, who also experiences the effects of the vagaries of air transport when traveling from the Magdalen Islands to Quebec, affirms that air service “has never been so catastrophic in all regions of the Quebec”.
He deplores the slowness of the Legault government to act since the first conclusions of the standing committee are expected on 1er April 2024. “The regions cannot wait all this time,” he said.
With the collaboration of Tommy Chouinard, The Press
They said
$500 tickets do not resolve the level of service offered. It is important that the government be proactive on this. I don’t have a silver bullet for this, but it’s important that the government sit down with the airlines to say to them: well, how can we make sure that the flight options are going to be there for the citizens and citizens?
Marc Tanguay, interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party
It was once again a solution which, from the point of view of political communication, could seem to sell. $500 tickets? You say, “Wow! It’s cool”, but everyone could see that it wouldn’t solve the basic problem. This is exactly what is happening. Then it’s up to the government to explain to us [quelle est] the next step, because that’s not the solution.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire
Learn more
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- 32 million
- ARAP budget in 2022-2023
Source: Government of Quebec
- 261 million
- Total envelope of the program, which is spread over five years
Source: Government of Quebec