Deborah Flint, head of the company that operates Toronto’s Pearson Airport, assured travelers that the delays, cancellations and lost luggage that have plagued Canada’s largest air hub are improving, but declined to give targets or say when flights would resume. flights in normal operation. Ms. Flint, chief executive of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, said labor shortages at the airport’s agencies, contractors and airlines are improving and that airport staff are working with all parties to better manage routes, including cancellation of certain flights. On-time performance has improved to 44 percent from 25 and 35 percent since the busy summer travel season began, he told reporters at a news conference on Friday. But it would offer no target or deadline, dashing the hopes of travelers hoping for a smooth trip to the airport. “There is still work to be done to get Pearson back on track,” Ms Flint said. He pointed to the complexity of the airport, which housed 400 companies and 50,000 people before the pandemic halted most air travel. Business at the airport has dropped to 25 percent of normal volumes in the COVID-19 health crisis, and much of the workforce has been laid off. Canada’s quiet travel period outlasted many countries due to vaccine requirements and other restrictions remaining in place for longer. As the pandemic eased and some restrictions were lifted, airlines began in late spring to offer about 80 percent of their usual routes. “Pearson has gone from one of the busiest airports in the world to one of the busiest,” he said. “We didn’t go from zero to 100. We went from zero to 500. Our pause was longer and our ramp to summer was much steeper than other airports.” He pointed to the “shared responsibility” of government agencies and companies working to manage planes and passengers. These include Canada’s ministries of transport, health and public safety, air traffic control NavCanada and US border services, in addition to airlines, caterers and contractors handling baggage, fuel and other companies. However, Ms Flint said she was responsible for ensuring all teams were running so passengers were not disturbed. “I take responsibility,” he said. “I am deeply committed to ensuring that passengers have an excellent and reliable experience. Having led the airport to become one of the world’s leading airports, I am committed to ensuring that we return to that status.” Airlines have voluntarily cut routes there, prompted by airport officials. Air Canada canceled about 10% of its summer schedule, much of it in Toronto and Montreal, to ease congestion. Executives at Canada’s largest airline said last week that it had tried to prepare for the surge by bringing back 90 percent of its workforce to operate 80 percent of its pandemic program. WestJet Airlines has also cut its schedule and is operating about 80 percent of its usual flights. “We recognize that the travel environment remains challenging, and we sincerely apologize to our guests for any disruption we caused to their long-awaited travel plans,” Diederik Pen, WestJet’s CEO, said in a statement. Problems arise even through passenger volumes that have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. On July 31, security staff at Canada’s eight largest airports screened more than 156,000 people, up from 68,000 on the same day in 2021, but fewer than the 176,000 screened on July 31, 2019. Richard Bannigan, 80, recently spent a night in Toronto Pearson because the driver he paid to pick him up couldn’t find him in the chaos. Mr. Banigan landed at Pearson on an Air Canada flight from Dallas-Fort Worth shortly after 9 p.m. on July 6. The plane idled for an hour on the tarmac before parking at a gate. “It was about as far from the arrivals section as you could get, an extremely long ride,” said Mr. Banigan, a retired Royal Canadian Air Force pilot who has heart problems. “There are no wheelchairs, workers or buggies, nothing. People had to carry their carry-on luggage by hand through this long, long corridor. There were moving sidewalks, but half of them didn’t work. “So we finally get to arrivals and there’s this huge long line. Hundreds and hundreds of people with all their bags and all together, with absolutely no social distancing,” Mr. Bannigan said by phone from his home near Midland, Ont. After another 60 minutes, he passed through customs and entered the main terminal. He saw many people sleeping on the floors and chairs, there was no soap in the toilets and many of the pay phones required coins which he did not have, so he could not call his transport service. Outside, the pickup lanes were “absolute chaos,” jammed with idling cars honking their horns in the dark. His driver was nowhere to be seen. “At this point I was completely exhausted,” he said. “I found a wheelchair and just sat in it.” Finally got a ride home at 9am the next morning. “It seems to me that this was completely unnecessary. It was very obvious there weren’t enough people running the place,” Mr Banigan said. Your time is valuable. Deliver the Top Business Headlines newsletter to your inbox morning or night. Sign up today.
