Canada’s two largest airlines have the worst on-time performance of North America’s 10 major carriers, underscoring that Canadian travelers are enduring the worst airport chaos and delays that have marred the resumption of global air travel. For the 30 days ending July 3, Air Canada’s AC-T planes arrived as scheduled 38 percent of the time, the worst performance of any major airline on the continent, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm. WestJet Airlines came in second last, arriving on time 54% of the time. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines DAL-N, the world’s largest airline by sales, topped the list with an 82 percent on-time performance. Alaska Airlines ALK-N came in second with 81 percent. The poor showing by Canadian companies signals the struggles facing the domestic industry as it braces itself after a long period of quiet brought on by the pandemic. Air travel to Britain, Europe, the United States and elsewhere has also been disrupted in recent months amid staff shortages and labor disputes, but problems at Canadian airports – particularly Toronto Pearson – stand out. “This is a global problem, but the reason we’re seeing a worse-than-average situation in Canada is that we’ve been slow to anticipate the recovery in travel,” said Ambarish Chandra, a professor at the University of Toronto. “The airlines and the government were slow to anticipate this, but we were also too slow to lift the restrictions.” A Canadian traveler’s airport survival guide: what to pack, what to leave behind The cuts to air travel in Canada are an admission that this crisis won’t end anytime soon Ian Lee, a business professor at Carleton University, points to a lack of coordination and planning between the various companies and government agencies that work at airports. He said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should have appointed a task force to oversee and manage the various entities’ preparedness ahead of what was inevitable and predictable – the return of the traveling public in large numbers. Instead, the Canadian aviation industry is served by a larger than usual number of players – the airlines, the contractors who load baggage and screen passengers, as well as airport authorities and government agencies, including Transport Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) and the Canada Border Services Agency (and its US counterpart at some airports). “You have a lot of cooks in the kitchen,” Professor Lee said by phone. “And all this affects the result, the timely delivery of the passenger and luggage.” As the summer travel season heats up, the world’s airlines are scheduled to carry more than 100 million passengers this week, according to aviation consultancy OAG. This is the highest number since January 2019, although the number will decrease as airlines cancel flights to ease airport congestion, the OAG said. Security agents at Canada’s eight largest airports conducted pre-flight checks on nearly 156,000 people on July 3, as passenger volumes remain below 2019 levels. On June 30, agents screened nearly 161,000 passengers, most of on January 2, 2020. This was the eve of the pandemic that has grounded much of the global airline industry as governments closed borders and imposed travel restrictions. Air Canada last week announced it would cut its July and August schedule by more than 9,000 flights, or 10% to 15%. The cuts are mainly in Toronto and Montreal, hubs where customer complaints about lineups and delays are loudest. Air Canada’s on-time performance at Toronto Pearson lagged behind other airlines at the airport between April and June, even as the airport’s government agencies increased staffing levels. In a statement, Air Canada said the size of its operations means it is disproportionately affected by disruptions at Toronto Pearson, where 55 per cent of its flights land. “Air Canada operates approximately 850 flights daily across the system,” the airline said. “The vast majority of scheduled flights operate daily and it consistently carries more than 125,000 people safely every day. The vast majority arrive at their destinations with their luggage.” Compensation questions exist for Air Canada customers with canceled flights Flight delays and cancellations, lost luggage disrupt air travel over Canada Day weekend Between Friday and Monday, inclusive, WestJet canceled 55 flights, including two for unscheduled maintenance. The Calgary-based airline operated 2,234 flights during that period. “We have been able to stabilize our operation to prevent reactive cancellations, however, there are still significant operational challenges across the Canadian aviation ecosystem that may fall outside of our control, contributing to delays,” said WestJet spokeswoman Morgan Bell. Airlines and companies that load, refuel and service planes schedule employees to work when passenger flow is heaviest, usually in the morning and evening. But when flights are delayed, that can push arrivals or departures into times when there aren’t enough employees to unload planes and process passengers, said Dave Flowers, national president of the International Union of Mechanical and Aerospace Workers, which represents CATSA workers as well as Air Canada’s baggage handlers. So the delays are piling up and affecting other airports, Mr. Flowers said. Your time is valuable. 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