Nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights delayed, cancelled over July long weekend

CITYnews halifax \ By The Canadian Press

Figures from aviation tracker FlightAware show that nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights were delayed or cancelled over the Canada Day long weekend.

Roughly half of all trips by the country’s biggest airline — including its lower-cost Air Canada Rouge and regional partner Jazz Aviation — were disrupted Saturday through Monday.

The 1,965 flight delays and cancellations stand in contrast to figures from some other Canadian carriers such as WestJet, Air Transat and Flair Airlines, which registered lower flight disruption levels.

They also mark an uptick from the previous weekend, despite an unplanned shortage of air traffic controllers at Nav Canada that snarled the travel plans of thousands in that period.

Posts and photos of snaking lines and bulging terminals at airports in Toronto and Montreal plastered social media over the past few days as passengers vented their frustration about late takeoffs and customer service.

Aviation expert John Gradek says bloated flight schedules and fewer backup planes play a role in travel turmoil, with disruption figures trending upward in a throwback to scenes of post-pandemic airport chaos a year ago.