MONTREAL: Canadian air travelers are expressing concern following widespread flight cancellations across the United States, which have been attributed to a critical shortage of air traffic controllers.
On Saturday, a handful of flights were canceled at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport. While Canadian carriers have so far reported only minor delays, authorities are assuring the public that major disruptions have been largely averted. However, anxiety remains high among passengers whose itineraries include a U.S. connection. One passenger, for instance, voiced fear over having to transit through the U.S. for a journey from Montreal to Santiago.
More than 2,500 flights were canceled across the U.S. on Friday and Saturday. To mitigate the impact on its customers, Air Canada has implemented a ‘Goodwill Policy,’ waiving change fees for passengers connecting to U.S. domestic flights via United Airlines.
WestJet announced that it has proactively adjusted some flight paths to avoid delays of less than 30 minutes. Porter Airlines, in contrast, has not reported any unusual disruptions.
While the current cancellation rate stands at 4% of flights, airlines have cautioned that this figure could potentially escalate to 10% in the coming days, creating significant disruption ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
