Air Travel

Buffy Sainte-Marie performs at the Toronto International Film Festival’s kick off event in Toronto on Thursday, September 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alex Lupul

Buffy Sainte-Marie isn’t retiring, she just can’t deal with air travel

‘I’m 81 and I deserve better, and I’m going to give it to myself’

Buffy Sainte-Marie performs at the Toronto International Film Festival’s kick off event in Toronto on Thursday, September 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alex Lupul
Travelers are photographed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, on Thursday, December 16, 2021. New Air Passenger Protection Regulations go into effect this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

New air passenger protection rules come into effect Thursday

Canada closes loophole that left some unable to secure refunds after pandemic-related cancellations

Travelers are photographed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, on Thursday, December 16, 2021. New Air Passenger Protection Regulations go into effect this week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin
A pair of U.S. Coast Guard vessels searches the area, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Freeland, Wash., on Whidbey Island north of Seattle where a chartered float plane crashed the day before. The plane was carrying 10 people and was en route from Friday Harbor, Wash., to Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Coast Guard ends search for 9 missing in floatplane crash

Plane went down Sunday off Whidbey Island, roughly 50 kilometres northwest of downtown Seattle

A pair of U.S. Coast Guard vessels searches the area, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near Freeland, Wash., on Whidbey Island north of Seattle where a chartered float plane crashed the day before. The plane was carrying 10 people and was en route from Friday Harbor, Wash., to Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Seventeen year old Anglo-Belgian pilot, Mack Rutherford, prepares to land at the Buzet airfield in Pont-A-Celles, Belgium, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. Rutherford landed in Belgium before flying on to Slovakia and Sofia, Bulgaria, for the final leg of his Guinness World Record attempt to be the youngest person to the fly around the world solo in a small plane. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Teen pilot sets age record for solo flight around world

Mack Rutherford, who turned 17 during the trip, passed through 52 countries on his 5-month journey

Seventeen year old Anglo-Belgian pilot, Mack Rutherford, prepares to land at the Buzet airfield in Pont-A-Celles, Belgium, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. Rutherford landed in Belgium before flying on to Slovakia and Sofia, Bulgaria, for the final leg of his Guinness World Record attempt to be the youngest person to the fly around the world solo in a small plane. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Omar Alghabra rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 20, 2022. The transport minister will testify today before the House of Commons transport committee on airport and airline delays that have wreaked havoc on travelers over the past several months.THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

COVID-19 to blame for Canada’s airport delays, says transport minister

Industry is grappling with a surge in customers this summer, compounded by staffing shortages

Omar Alghabra rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 20, 2022. The transport minister will testify today before the House of Commons transport committee on airport and airline delays that have wreaked havoc on travelers over the past several months.THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
Travellers at Heathrow airport, in London, Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Heathrow Airport has introduced a cap on passenger numbers this summer as the aviation sector struggles to cope with demand for travel. No more than 100,000 daily passengers will be able to depart from July 12 until Sept. 11, the west London airport announced. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

Heathrow airport says passenger cap has eased UK travel chaos

Britain’s busiest airport has capped the daily number of departing passengers at 100,000

Travellers at Heathrow airport, in London, Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Heathrow Airport has introduced a cap on passenger numbers this summer as the aviation sector struggles to cope with demand for travel. No more than 100,000 daily passengers will be able to depart from July 12 until Sept. 11, the west London airport announced. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
People line up before entering the security at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, August 5, 2022. The House of Commons transport committee is holding an emergency meeting today to talk about whether to go ahead with an investigation into airport delays and flight cancellations.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

House of Commons transport committee will investigate airport delays

Airports have been grappling with a surge in travel this summer, compounded by staffing shortages

People line up before entering the security at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, August 5, 2022. The House of Commons transport committee is holding an emergency meeting today to talk about whether to go ahead with an investigation into airport delays and flight cancellations.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Air Canada denying passenger compensation claims for staff shortages, citing safety

Airlines required to pay if reason for cancellation is within their control, but not if safety is at play

An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The Snowbirds are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. (Submitted photo)

Snowbirds pilot unharmed after crashing aircraft in Northern B.C.

Cause of crash at North Peace Regional Airport under investigation

The Snowbirds are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. (Submitted photo)
An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
An Air Canada jet takes off from Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Thursday, June 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A passenger arrives from New Delhi at Pearson Airport in Toronto on April 21, 2021. Infectious disease experts are at odds over the value of testing random travellers into the country for COVID-19 as the federal government relaunched its airport test program Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Questions raised about value of random COVID-19 tests for travellers

Randomly selected air travellers at those airports must now report to off-site locations for tests

A passenger arrives from New Delhi at Pearson Airport in Toronto on April 21, 2021. Infectious disease experts are at odds over the value of testing random travellers into the country for COVID-19 as the federal government relaunched its airport test program Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
The union representing more than 700 WestJet employees at airports in Calgary and Vancouver say they have voted to support a strike if they cannot reach a new contract with the airline. Westjet employees wearing masks wait for passengers at the Calgary Airport in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet employees in Calgary and Vancouver back strike vote if deal can’t be reached

Unifor says wages are a key issue in the contract talks as strike vote see 98 per cent in favour

The union representing more than 700 WestJet employees at airports in Calgary and Vancouver say they have voted to support a strike if they cannot reach a new contract with the airline. Westjet employees wearing masks wait for passengers at the Calgary Airport in Calgary, Alta., Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Mandatory random COVID-19 testing resumes today for travellers coming in through Canada's four major airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. A passenger from Air India flight 187 from New Delhi arrives at Pearson Airport in Toronto on Wednesday April 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Random COVID-19 testing resumes at four major airports; tests to be done offsite

Actual tests will be completed through an in-person or virtual appointment outside the airport

Mandatory random COVID-19 testing resumes today for travellers coming in through Canada's four major airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. A passenger from Air India flight 187 from New Delhi arrives at Pearson Airport in Toronto on Wednesday April 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
WestJet Airlines says a system outage Thursday morning is delaying some flights and intermittently impacting the company’s operations. A Westjet employee assists people checking in for a domestic flight at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Thursday, January 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WestJet check-in restored after system-wide outage snarled cross-country travel

System outages affected both WestJet Airlines and air traffic control agency NAV Canada

WestJet Airlines says a system outage Thursday morning is delaying some flights and intermittently impacting the company’s operations. A Westjet employee assists people checking in for a domestic flight at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Thursday, January 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
People travel at Pearson International Airport during the Covid-19 pandemic in Toronto, on Dec. 3, 2021. Even though air traffic is on the upswing, Covid testing of international passengers is causing the system to be backed up. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Canada bringing back mandatory random testing of travellers arriving at main airports

Testing resume for fully vaccinated travellers arriving at Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto

People travel at Pearson International Airport during the Covid-19 pandemic in Toronto, on Dec. 3, 2021. Even though air traffic is on the upswing, Covid testing of international passengers is causing the system to be backed up. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Exhausted travellers having a nap in the airport. (Carla Leinweber/Submitted)

B.C. woman collapses in airport after living there for days due to flight cancellations

Carla Leinweber, 66, gave up on her vacation after flights were cancelled countless times over 5 days

Exhausted travellers having a nap in the airport. (Carla Leinweber/Submitted)
A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. For those who remain undeterred by the daunting lines and flight delays at Canadian airports, questions remain about how to save money on air travel amid mounting fuel costs and inflation.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

How to find cheaper flights this year as airfares soar

Airfares jumped 11.6 per cent year over year in May

A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. For those who remain undeterred by the daunting lines and flight delays at Canadian airports, questions remain about how to save money on air travel amid mounting fuel costs and inflation.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Air Canada to slash summer flight schedule as airports face lengthy delays

154 flights per day on average dropped from the airline’s schedule

Air Canada planes sit on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Passengers lineup at the check in counter at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport, in Montreal, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. An analytics firm says a majority of domestic flights to some of Canada’s busiest airports were delayed or cancelled over the past week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Spike in domestic flight delays, cancellations as global gridlock continues

Aviation industry has blamed on a shortage of federal security and customs officers

Passengers lineup at the check in counter at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport, in Montreal, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. An analytics firm says a majority of domestic flights to some of Canada’s busiest airports were delayed or cancelled over the past week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Chris Nowrouzi, CEO and Co-Owner of FlyGTA, is photographed at Buttonville Airport in Markham, Ontario on Saturday June 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Private air travel takes off in Canada— but can it stay aloft?

Airport delays and chaos pushing more wealthy people to fly privately

Chris Nowrouzi, CEO and Co-Owner of FlyGTA, is photographed at Buttonville Airport in Markham, Ontario on Saturday June 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young