For a New Brunswick family, a trip south was meant to be a time of leisure.
Quispamsis residents left for Florida in late June to visit the Disney theme parks for the first time in three years.
However, their plans were foiled before the plane could leave Halifax Stanfield International Airport. According to Geoff McCabe, the flight was delayed twice and eventually canceled about three hours after the original departure time.
“So us and a whole waiting room full of families with lots of little kids, lots of excited faces hoping to finally have a good vacation, that abruptly changed in the blink of an eye,” McCabe said. .
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All the passengers, McCabe said, were booked for a flight the next day. But passengers were again forced to wait when another delay pushed the estimated departure time back by about an hour, he said.
While the family eventually reached their destination and appreciated the accommodations provided by their airline, the stress of travel could prevent future vacations from requiring flights.
“We were considering another trip over the Christmas months, but we’re going to re-evaluate that and see where the airline industry is, come the winter months.”
These occurrences have become increasingly common in recent months, created by labor shortages, lost luggage, and growing interest in travel.
Amid the current problems, Air Canada has introduced a summer schedule to reduce the frequency of flights to and from Toronto and Montreal.
Affected routes include Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton and, beginning in August, Halifax.
“Well, obviously we’re disappointed. It’s a significant impact for the airport, but more importantly, for the traveling public and community,” said Greg Hierlihy, Saint John Airport’s Director of Finance and Administration.
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“Obviously, just like the tourism and business community, those are significant impacts and, as I said, it really displaces passengers who already have reservations for the summer and now have to look for alternative options.”
Hierlihy is optimistic that Air Canada flights will return to previous levels this fall. In the meantime, he believes other airlines can help carry the load.
Less traffic will hurt the bottom line, he admitted, but the airport believes it can recover.
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