According to a statement from the company's president, Air Canada will continue to address the "lack of customer service" and will reduce flights in July and August.
"Unfortunately, things are not business as usual in our industry around the world. This affects our business and our ability to serve you with normal standard care. Is given, "writes Michael Rousseau.
Airlines will reduce capacity as summer travel peaks and pandemic-related travel restrictionscontinue to be lifted.
In an email statement to the CTV News Channel, a spokesperson for Air Canada said the company would reduce the schedule for an average of 154 flights a day in July and August. Prior to this change, Air Canada stated that it operates approximately 1,000 flights per day. The most affected routes are flights between Toronto and Montreal airports. This change reduces the frequency of these flights and primarily affects the evening and midnight flights of airline small aircraft.
The spokesperson also said the airline would temporarily suspend routes between Montreal and Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Kerona, and Toronto and Fort McMurray. International flights are largely unaffected, except for timing changes that spokespersons have stated to reduce peak flights.
"To achieve the required level of operational stability, we now significantly reduce the schedule for July and August, and the volume and flow of passengers seems to be air transport. We are reducing it to a level. The system can handle it. "
Rousseau acknowledges that this "has a negative impact on some customers", but by making this notice publicly informed about the shortening of the airline's schedule, travelers can make other arrangements. He said he hopes to be.
"I am confident that these changes will bring about the desired improvements," he said. "But to set expectations, we also understand that the real benefits of this action are time consuming and only gradually felt as the industry regains the reliability and robustness it had achieved before the pandemic. Must be. "
Recent datashows that more than half of all flights to and from some of Canada's major airports are for tourism and for the summer travel season. The sector continues to face a shortage of staff, indicating that it has been canceled or delayed as an airline.
On Wednesday, Montreal-Tordo Airport CEO – Air Canada announced that it would cut some flights – told CTV News Montrealthat the airport was already there. Talks with airlines to reduce the number of flights.
"There is talk, and it's likely that there is a frequency (the number of flights at a particular destination) or the destination itself," Philip Rainville said, adding that it was due to a lack of staff at the airport. rice field. Problems, especially loading and unloading luggage from planes.
A similar problem has occurred at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and the videos on social media appear to depict hundreds of packages piled up at the baggage claim.
"We had conversations with the four largest airports and the two largest airlines on Thursday, and we will have a follow-up conversation shortly," Transport Minister Omar Argabrasaid. I mentioned at the meeting. Wednesday. "They know that we need to add more resources and are working on it. We provide support to address these issues, but these are unacceptable issues.
Airline and airport workers are not treated well, and some of the major reasons behind the struggle to deal with the shortage of staff in the industry are their Wages are difficult to work with.
"There are so many screening officers who have resigned due to low wages and poor working conditions, and there is a significant shortage of airport staff," said David, representative of the United Steel Workers Union in Otawa. Lipton told CTVNationalNewson June 19th.
Lipton said some unions offer screening staff hundreds of dollars a week if they don't take vacations or sick days.
Use files from CTV News Montreal, CTV News Toronto, AlexandraMae Jones
