Christopher Reynolds, Canadian Press Published Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 5:18 PM EDT Last Updated: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 5:58 PM EDT
MONTREAL – Transport Minister Omar Algabra says the Canadian airport security agency is increasing its staff, but that the lack of workers is not the main culprit for the unacceptable delays passengers face this spring, an assessment the sector disagrees with.
Many airports report extremely long queues at airport security checkpoints and border checkpoints, while passengers say they are forced to wait for hours and sometimes miss their flights.
Toronto Airport Authorities said last week that challenges with staff at Canada’s Air Security Authority (CATSA) are contributing to the long queues at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.
But Algabra said on Wednesday that this could not be the main problem, as the security agency’s workforce is at 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, while “travel volume” is below 70 per cent.
The head of the Canadian Airport Council disagreed, calling staff levels an obstacle number one.
“The challenge here – the main part – is the work and the opportunity to hire these peaks and be agile enough to work,” Monet Pascher said in a telephone interview with Halifax.
The capacity of local airlines for May is projected at 85% of the levels for 2019, according to the council, and 78% for domestic, American and international in general. The group predicts the latest figure will reach 90 percent in July.
Industry observers say more security officials would be helpful in easing chokepoitns during the upcoming jump, especially at Toronto and Vancouver airports.
“Air Canada and WestJet, both of which operate significantly more international flights,” said John Gradek, head of aviation management program at McGill University.
Air Canada now flies 14 flights a day between Toronto and Vancouver, compared to 12 a day in 2019, he said.
“And instead of having a 200-seat Dreamliner, you have a 777 with 350 seats,” Gradek said. “There are a lot more passengers on these planes.”
Algabra said out-of-practice travelers are causing delays at security checkpoints as Canadians return to travel after spending most of the past two years because of COVID-19.
“Taking out laptops, taking out liquids – it all adds 10 seconds here, 15 seconds there,” he told reporters.
The change in flight schedules has also led to waves of large flights leaving and arriving at the same time, causing major difficulties at certain times of the day, he said.
“They have to adjust to that … The peaks and valleys were not as pronounced as they are now.”
More last-minute bookings from passengers who still fear harsh public health measures could throw another wrench into the turbine.
“CATSA relied on a six-month forecast when it comes to the division of labor. Now they have to rely on 72-hour, 48-hour volume forecasting. They are adapting, “said Algabra.
“I am confident that the CEO understands the sense of urgency. I reinforced his sense of urgency on Monday.
Gradek said more staff – both at checkpoints and among airlines that can comb security lines for upcoming passengers and force them to the front – will ease suffocation sites.
Lagging is especially likely to accumulate in the afternoon and evening, when the abundance of international travel goes hand in hand with more domestic take-offs and landings.
Airports are also blaming ongoing tests on international passengers – Canada’s four largest airports do so at random for fully vaccinated arrivals – which deters many from traveling, the sector said.
To prevent serious congestion of passengers, airport and airline employees are forced to hold passengers on planes and deliberately measure the flow of arriving passengers to the customs clearance room by the CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency), a process we know and know about. “It’s highly disappointing for passengers,” Toronto Airport said last week.
CATSA also pointed to the problem of peaks and valleys, saying that before the pandemic, passenger ridges were distributed between domestic, US and international flights, causing less congestion at airports.
“With the resumption of air travel, we are seeing simultaneous peaks, which could lead to flooding of passengers at more than one checkpoint at a time, making the redistribution of resources to deal with these numbers of passengers more challenging,” the agency said last week.
CEO Mike Saunders stressed that staff is the main reason for the annoying delays.
“While the security corporation’s outsourcers – who are responsible for providing the inspection staff with a workforce – are working to increase staff, they are not immune to the recruitment challenges faced by the wider commercial aviation industry and indeed many industries across the country. Canada at the time, “he said in a statement.
At the height of the pandemic, Vancouver International Airport received about 2,500 passengers a day, said spokeswoman Megan Bachelor. This month is an average of 48,000 passengers per day, reaching 51,000 on some days.
This Canadian Press report was first published on May 11, 2022.
Add Comment