Pearson Airport will limit the number of flights during busy periods
Toronto's Pearson Airport experienced issues with flight delays and cancellations during the summer and holiday season.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority says it has made the decision to include a “hard limit” on the number of flights departing and arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport. The new measure will be in effect during spring break in March and during the summer season.
There is also a limit on the number of passengers the airport can receive for international arrivals or departures to the United States.
L& #x27;airport authority justifies its choice by explaining that it is a question of balancing arrivals and departures in order to ensure a reliable service for all.
Director of McGill University's aviation management program, John Gradek, says the decision is badly needed, given the difficulties Pearson Airport experienced last summer and the during the holiday season.
With the pandemic, airlines and airports have massively reduced staff. They still have a hard time finding employees to operate, he explains.
According to him, it is on the ground that the problem is the greatest. If the airport has always had reception capacity limits, it has not been able to adapt them in time.
We arrived in a situation where the airlines did not recognize the carrying capacity of the airports. It's the fault of the airports because, during the summer or the Christmas holidays, they didn't really tell the airlines what the capacity of the airport was, he points out.
< p class="e-p">However, one question remains: what is the new limit? The airport authority did not communicate this information, which John Gradek regrets.
We do not have the quantification or the comparison with the old limit. For me, a cut of 10 to 15% in the number of passengers would be a minimum, he believes, specifying that a limit of flights is not sufficient due to the difference in the number of passengers between the aircraft. /p>
Another black shadow on the board, the speed of the implementation of measures. Spring Break is just weeks away, and that might not be enough for airlines to adjust to.
Airlines need preferably six to eight months in advance, insists John Gradek.
“There are already sold out flights, so a risk cancellation, especially for spring break.
—John Gradek, Director of McGill University's Aviation Management Program
He adds that airlines will have to find a way to make their customers accept these decisions by offering alternative flights or refunding tickets.
About Air Canada, the company says it is already ready.
In the context of the present situation, this involves adapting our schedule according to needs, which we have done. This is a normal and ongoing process, and we always notify our customers directly of any changes, the company said in a statement.
At the airport, travelers do not know what to think of this initiative, but many recognize the need to improve the quality of service.
The last time I took a flight, in 2020, it was not was no problem. This time, it's a disaster, exclaims Alex, who is having trouble getting his connection to Winnipeg.
Others like Yanish wonder what effects the reductions in the number of flights will have.
How are they going to choose the people who cannot take their flights?, wonders -t-il.
Salma Mohammed believes that the decision of the Airport Authority will not solve the problems of delays and loss of luggage.
Salma Mohammed is a little more critical.
Limiting the number of flights will limit the number of tourists in Canada, she points out.
According to her, the problem does not lie in the number of flights, but in the quality of service. I would prefer that the airlines find solutions to lost luggage and canceled or postponed flights at Pearson airport.
With information from Yanick Lepage and Mirna Djukic
