{"id":27531,"date":"2022-08-20T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-20T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1.6557310"},"modified":"2022-08-20T04:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-20T08:00:00","slug":"torontos-pearson-airport-now-2nd-worst-in-world-for-delays-ottawa-says-travel-woes-on-the-mend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/delays-airport-government-1.6557310?cmp=rss","title":{"rendered":"Toronto&#8217;s Pearson airport now 2nd worst in world for delays. Ottawa says travel woes on the mend"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fatima Sherefa, 17, had a rough night at Toronto&#8217;s Pearson Airport on Aug.&nbsp;6.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Her flight from Toronto home to Winnipeg had been delayed several times and then, just after midnight, it was cancelled.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sherefa says Air Canada staff didn&#8217;t offer hotel accommodation for the night, and instead passed out yoga mats to stranded travellers.<\/p>\n<p>Sherefa&nbsp;says she slept that night on one of the mats on the floor of a women&#8217;s nursing room at the airport.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was very terrifying, but also a new experience that I don&#8217;t think anyone should have to go through,&#8221; she said.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>Sherefa is just one of thousands of air passengers caught up in the travel chaos that has&nbsp;plagued Canada&#8217;s major airports this summer. As COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in the spring, a sudden surge in travel led to mass delays and cancellations, and airport congestion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What do you think about this story? Do you have a question, experience or story tip to share? Send an email to <a href=\"mailto:ask@cbc.ca\"><u>ask@cbc.ca<\/u><\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A woman holds a yoga mat in an airport.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6544280.1660961861!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_300\/fatima-sherafa.jpg 300w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6544280.1660961861!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_460\/fatima-sherafa.jpg 460w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6544280.1660961861!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/fatima-sherafa.jpg 620w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6544280.1660961861!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/fatima-sherafa.jpg 780w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6544280.1660961861!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_1180\/fatima-sherafa.jpg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6544280.1660961861!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/fatima-sherafa.jpg\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Fatima Sherafa of Winnipeg holds up the small yoga mat she was given to sleep on at Pearson.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Kevin Nepitabo\/CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Friday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told the House of Commons transport committee that COVID-19&nbsp;and a labour shortage within the aviation industry are to blame and that, with the government&#8217;s help, the travel chaos is dissipating.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are seeing significant improvements over the last two months,&#8221; he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the chaos is far from over. Toronto&#8217;s Pearson airport, which had the most flight delays in the world for most of the summer, has only moved into second place, according to flight tracking service&nbsp;FlightAware. And, since May, more than 7,000 disgruntled travellers have flooded the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) with complaints related to flight disruptions.<\/p>\n<p>The ongoing problems have raised questions about whether the government is doing enough to fix the problem, and if it should have done more before the chaos started.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The federal government needs to think about, why did this happen?&#8221; said \u200b\u200bWalid Hejazi, an associate professor of economic analysis and policy at the University of Toronto&#8217;s Rotman School of Management.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re one of the richest countries in the world. It&#8217;s completely unnecessary.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div><em><strong>WATCH | Transport minister grilled over airport chaos:<\/strong><\/em><span><span class=\"mediaEmbed\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"player-placeholder-ui-container \">\n<div class=\"player-placeholder-video-ui\" title=\"Federal transport minister grilled over summer of airport chaos\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"player-placeholder-ui \">\n<div class=\"video-item video-card-overlay \" title=\"Federal transport minister grilled over summer of airport chaos\">\n<div class=\"thumbnail-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"thumbnail-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.cbc.ca\/maven_legacy\/thumbnails\/105\/998\/ST_PARSONS_TRAVEL_DELAYS_CLIP_PRETAPE_PARSONS_DEBRIEF_MPX.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&amp;downsize=1130px:* 1130w, https:\/\/thumbnails.cbc.ca\/maven_legacy\/thumbnails\/105\/998\/ST_PARSONS_TRAVEL_DELAYS_CLIP_PRETAPE_PARSONS_DEBRIEF_MPX.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&amp;downsize=880px:* 880w, https:\/\/thumbnails.cbc.ca\/maven_legacy\/thumbnails\/105\/998\/ST_PARSONS_TRAVEL_DELAYS_CLIP_PRETAPE_PARSONS_DEBRIEF_MPX.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&amp;downsize=630px:* 630w, https:\/\/thumbnails.cbc.ca\/maven_legacy\/thumbnails\/105\/998\/ST_PARSONS_TRAVEL_DELAYS_CLIP_PRETAPE_PARSONS_DEBRIEF_MPX.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&amp;downsize=510px:* 510w, https:\/\/thumbnails.cbc.ca\/maven_legacy\/thumbnails\/105\/998\/ST_PARSONS_TRAVEL_DELAYS_CLIP_PRETAPE_PARSONS_DEBRIEF_MPX.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&amp;downsize=260px:* 260w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 260px) 4vw, (max-width: 510px) 50vw, (max-width: 630px) 66vw, (max-width: 880px) 88vw\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnails.cbc.ca\/maven_legacy\/thumbnails\/105\/998\/ST_PARSONS_TRAVEL_DELAYS_CLIP_PRETAPE_PARSONS_DEBRIEF_MPX.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&amp;downsize=510px:*510w\" alt class=\"thumbnail\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-card-overlay-container\">\n<div class=\"video-info-container\">\n<h3 class=\"video-item-title\">Federal transport minister grilled over summer of airport chaos<\/h3>\n<div class=\"video-time-container\"><span class=\"formattedDate video-time-stamp\">24 hours ago<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"videoTimeLabel \">\n<div class=\"durationLabel\"><span><span class=\"a11y\">Duration <\/span>2:40<\/span><svg class=\"captions\" aria-label=\"Close captions available\" height=\"10\" width=\"11.25\" viewBox=\"0 0 11.25 10\"><path d=\"m 10,0 c 0.6875,0 1.25,0.5625 1.25,1.25 v 7.5 C 11.25,9.4375 10.6875,10 10,10 H 1.25 C 0.55625,10 0,9.4375 0,8.75 V 1.25 C 0,0.5625 0.55625,0 1.25,0 Z M 5,4.375 V 3.75 C 5,3.40625 4.71875,3.125 4.375,3.125 H 2.5 c -0.34375,0 -0.625,0.28125 -0.625,0.625 v 2.5 c 0,0.34375 0.28125,0.625 0.625,0.625 H 4.375 C 4.71875,6.875 5,6.59375 5,6.25 V 5.625 H 4.0625 v 0.3125 h -1.25 v -1.875 h 1.25 V 4.375 Z m 4.375,0 V 3.75 C 9.375,3.40625 9.09375,3.125 8.75,3.125 H 6.875 C 6.53125,3.125 6.25,3.40625 6.25,3.75 v 2.5 c 0,0.34375 0.28125,0.625 0.625,0.625 H 8.75 c 0.34375,0 0.625,-0.28125 0.625,-0.625 V 5.625 H 8.4375 v 0.3125 h -1.25 v -1.875 h 1.25 V 4.375 Z\" \/><\/svg><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"media-caption\">Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was grilled by members of a parliamentary committee today about why the government hasn\u2019t done more to alleviate the months of airport chaos that Canadian travellers have been facing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>What went wrong?<\/h2>\n<p>As with many countries, Canada&#8217;s travel&nbsp;problems began when demand surged in the spring and many previously laid-off aviation workers didn&#8217;t return \u2014 causing staffing shortages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Canada won international attention this summer by topping the charts for flight delays. According to&nbsp;FlightAware, from May through July, Pearson had the highest rate of delays among the world&#8217;s 100 busiest airports&nbsp;and Montreal&#8217;s Trudeau airport came in a close second.<\/p>\n<p>During that period, 53 per cent of flights departing Pearson and 46 per cent departing Trudeau&nbsp;arrived more than 15 minutes late at their destination.<\/p>\n<p>Alghabra said Canada&#8217;s airports and airlines faced a steeper challenge compared to other countries, because the travel industry here virtually ground to a halt during the pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The hole that they&#8217;re coming out of was deeper,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Alghabra says Ottawa was quick to address the problem.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We took action from the beginning and we will continue to do so.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A man sits in a room near a window.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6557330.1660961896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_300\/tim-perry.jpg 300w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6557330.1660961896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_460\/tim-perry.jpg 460w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6557330.1660961896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/tim-perry.jpg 620w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6557330.1660961896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/tim-perry.jpg 780w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6557330.1660961896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_1180\/tim-perry.jpg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.6557330.1660961896!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/tim-perry.jpg\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Tim Perry, a WestJet pilot and president of the Canadian arm of the Air Line Pilots Association, says the government should have addressed the root problems earlier. <!-- --> <!-- -->(CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But Tim Perry, a WestJet pilot and president of the Airline Pilots Association Canada, argues the government was slow to act.<\/p>\n<p>Perry says he warned the transport committee in January&nbsp;2021 \u2014&nbsp;more than a year before the travel surge \u2014&nbsp;that Ottawa, the airports and airlines needed to hash out a plan.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was no comprehensive co-ordination or restart plan for aviation,&#8221; he said. &#8220;A lot of what we see today was foretold then. And I hate to say &#8216;I told you so,&#8217; but I told you so.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>It&#8217;s getting better<\/h2>\n<p>Alghabra also said on Friday that, with the government&#8217;s help, the situation at Canada&#8217;s airports is improving. He said measures such as the hiring of 1,700 screening officers and moving random testing offsite has helped ease congestion.<\/p>\n<p>FlightAware&#8217;s latest data also shows the situation is improving \u2014&nbsp;somewhat.&nbsp;Between Aug. 10 and Aug. 17, 44.1 per cent of flights departing Pearson&nbsp;were delayed, dropping it to the No. 2 spot.&nbsp;London&#8217;s Gatwick&nbsp;Airport topped the list this time with 45 per cent&nbsp;of flights delayed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;Montreal&#8217;s airport ranked seventh with 39.3 per cent&nbsp;of flights delayed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"imageMedia image full\">\n<div class=\"placeholder\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People stand in line at an airport.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5055655.1660961929!\/cpImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_300\/in-the-news-july-28-20170728.jpg 300w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5055655.1660961929!\/cpImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_460\/in-the-news-july-28-20170728.jpg 460w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5055655.1660961929!\/cpImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_620\/in-the-news-july-28-20170728.jpg 620w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5055655.1660961929!\/cpImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/in-the-news-july-28-20170728.jpg 780w, https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5055655.1660961929!\/cpImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_1180\/in-the-news-july-28-20170728.jpg 1180w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5055655.1660961929!\/cpImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/in-the-news-july-28-20170728.jpg\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Under federal rules, airlines only have to pay compensation \u2014 up to $1,000 \u2014 if a flight delay or cancellation is within an airline&#8217;s control and not required for safety reasons.<!-- --> <!-- -->(Aaron Vincent Elkaim\/The Canadian Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, the union representing 15,000 baggage handlers, screening officers and airline mechanics says labour shortages remain a problem.<\/p>\n<p>Dave Flowers, president of District 140 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, says several Canadian airlines or their third-party contractors are currently trying to hire&nbsp;thousands of ground crew workers&nbsp;at the country&#8217;s major airports.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Flowers says the jobs are difficult to fill because wages, which range from $16.60 to $21 an hour, aren&#8217;t competitive enough in a tight labour market.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I can go to Amazon today and they&#8217;ll hire me today off the street with benefits from day one, and $21 an hour,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Or you can work in \u201330 C on the ramp, or plus 40 C&nbsp;on the ramp, loading baggage for the same money.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Flowers warns that if the positions aren&#8217;t filled soon, travellers should brace themselves for more chaos.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If they don&#8217;t fix the problem before the peak of the Christmas period \u2026 you&#8217;re going to see this problem come right back again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Customer complaints<\/h2>\n<p>Alghabra was questioned on Friday about what the government is doing to address the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/compensation-cta-air-canada-westjet-1.6552958\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">numerous passenger complaints<\/a> that they&#8217;re being unfairly denied compensation by their airline.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/otc-cta.gc.ca\/eng\/air-passenger-protection-regulations-highlights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under federal rules<\/a>, airlines only have to pay compensation \u2014 up to $1,000 \u2014 if a flight delay or cancellation is within an airline&#8217;s control and not required for safety reasons. Carriers must also cover accommodation costs for flight disruptions within their control.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Alghabra said the CTA is responsible for resolving passenger complaints and that the government has given the transport regulator an added $11 million to deal with the recent flood of grievances.<\/p>\n<p>That cash injection was first announced in the April 2022 federal budget.<\/p>\n<p>Alghabra also said it&#8217;s &#8220;unacceptable to see travellers sleeping on airport floors&#8221; because of delays or cancellations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, he didn&#8217;t announce any government action to prevent it from happening again.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile&nbsp;Sherefa, the passenger, said she hopes the government comes up with a plan.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Why does [anyone] have to sleep overnight in an airport just because a multi-billion dollar company can&#8217;t provide a hotel?&#8221; she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/delays-airport-government-1.6557310?cmp=rss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fatima Sherefa, 17, had a rough night at Toronto&#8217;s Pearson Airport on Aug.&nbsp;6.&nbsp; Her flight from Toronto home to Winnipeg had been delayed several times and then, just after midnight, it was cancelled.&nbsp; Sherefa&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[331],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewwbradley.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}