Air Canada, WestJet worse than US carriers when it comes to flight delays
Air Canada and WestJet have bested US carriers in a category that isn’t particularly flattering.
According to a new report from aviation data firm Cirium, Canada’s major airlines scored low when it came to on-time flight arrivals and departures in 2022.
The on-time 2022 performance review revealed that only about 54% of Air Canada and 59% of WestJet flights arrived on time last year. The airlines were in last place in a ranking of North American carriers.
Cirium
In comparison, US carriers Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines topped the list with 80% to 83% on-time arrivals.
WestJet faired slightly better regarding departures, with about 68% of flights leaving on time. There were no stats shown for Air Canada.
Cirium
Cirium says these numbers come as the North American aviation industries “contend with a rise in passenger numbers as well as a shortage of available staff.”
Last summer, Canadian travellers experienced chaos amid Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) rallies. The airport workers revealed horrible working conditions coupled with staffing shortages.
According to Cirium’s report, North American airlines managed these challenging circumstances by decreasing flight schedules earlier this year to correspond with staffing shortages and using larger planes when possible while they continue to recruit and train more personnel.
“Unfortunately, in the short term, with such strong demand and the need to limit capacity, travellers are facing overall higher airfares as there was more demand than available seat supply,” reads the report.
There are still many recent stories of Air Canada and WestJet derailing Canadians’ trips and airline employees’ job actions cancelling flights.
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