LILLEY: Feds try to deny responsibility for Canada’s air travel delays

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Our airports are a catastrophe and in some way the Trudeau authorities and their supporters assume they will simply say, “however it’s dangerous in different places too!”

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Is that basically a ok reply for Canadians?

It shouldn’t be.

The reality of the matter is that our delays have been occurring for the reason that finish of March. Airports like Charles de Gaulle in Paris are experiencing issues now as a consequence of a strike.

On Thursday, Air Canada was probably the most delayed airline on the planet with 74% of flights not leaving or arriving on time, according to Flight Aware. WestJet was the third most delayed airline globally with 59% of flights delayed.

The low cost model for each carriers, Jazz and WestJet Encore, weren’t far behind them on the checklist.

Is that this as a consequence of issues globally or right here at residence?

You recognize the reply, however let me provide you with some extra statistics. Canada had three airports within the checklist of the 20 most delayed airports on the planet for departing flights on Thursday – Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. We had 5 of the highest 20 most delayed airports for arriving flights as a result of Vancouver and Calgary made the checklist together with the opposite three.

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We don’t have the busiest airports on the planet, simply probably the most delayed, however in some way we’re anticipated to consider that authorities insurance policies don’t have something to do with this.

Not a single American airport is within the prime 20 for having probably the most delays, however 5 Canadian airports are. Chinese language airports like Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hangzhou dominate the checklist largely due to that’s nation’s COVID Zero insurance policies.

“Our insurance policies are so highly effective that they’re impacting your entire world,” a senior Liberal messaged me after a latest column on how the Trudeau authorities’s insurance policies are a part of the issue.

They despatched hyperlinks to tales of airport delays in Amsterdam, England and elsewhere.

It’s all true that air journey is an issue elsewhere and staffing points, together with for airways, is a part of that drawback, however so are authorities insurance policies. And to disclaim that, or decrease it, is to disregard the issue.

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“On our finish, we now have carried out the whole lot we are able to,” Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra said earlier this week.

He stated the issues at airports are as a consequence of airways scheduling, staffing points, and many others. But individuals are nonetheless needing to indicate up for his or her flights hours forward of time to make sure they make it by safety on time. Passengers are nonetheless being delayed and held again on planes as soon as they land as a result of the customs space is just too busy and may’t maintain any extra individuals.

These are points the federal government is immediately liable for, not the airways or airports.

The Trudeau authorities simply prolonged a variety of COVID journey measures till Sept. 30, together with obligatory use of the ArriveCan app. Based on customs officers, the app has elevated the time it takes to course of passengers by 400%.

But Alghabra needs you to assume they’ve carried out all they will to alleviate the state of affairs.

Different nations and different airports exterior of Canada are experiencing issues however none as lengthy or persistent as what we now have been coping with right here in Canada. As a substitute of blaming passengers or airways as Alghabra has carried out, he must work with all events to discover a answer.

That features the federal government fixing the problematic areas they’re liable for at Canada’s airports.

blilley@postmedia.com