Is the ArriveCAN app killing Canadian tourism?
A new CBC story quotes a border city tourism operator and the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario as saying the app has done tremendous damage to a region that relies heavily on American visitation to keep people employed.
“When you talk to any businesses in town, they’ll tell you there’s a very small amount of American dollars coming in,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati. “It’s been hurtful, especially after two years of COVID.”
Anna Pierce, vice president of Niagara Helicopters, told the network that she’s had several calls from potential U.S. visitors who found the ArriveCAN app too hard to figure out, and decided not to cross the border.
Pierce said bookings this year are down 35% versus the summer of 2019, mostly because of a shortage of American tourists.
The Canadian government has shown no signs it’s ready to ditch the app, which requires both Canadians and visitors to supply their vaccination status and answer a series of health questions.
A crowded airport. Sebastien Meier/Unsplash Photo
CANADIAN AIRPORT DELAYS CONTINUE
The Canadian government put out a statement on Thursday saying things continue to improve at Canadian airports. In some ways, yes, but not in others.
Flight cancellations
For the week of August 22-28, 2022, 97.5 percent of flights planned for Canada’s top four airports were completed (i.e., not cancelled), an improvement from 95 percent for the first week of July, the government said.
On-time performance
From August 22-28, 2022, more than 86 percent of flights from the top four airports in Canada left on time, or within one hour of their scheduled departure, officials said. “This is a significant improvement from under 75 percent for the first week of July and is approaching the pre-pandemic levels in August 2019 where 95 percent of flights were on time, or within an hour of scheduled departure.”
That may be true, but an hour is a very long delay. Flightaware.com tracks flights around the world and considers a plane delayed if it leaves or lands more than 15 minutes late. Here are their figures for departures at Canada’s four busiest airports on Thursday, September 1.
– Toronto Pearson: 33% delayed
– Vancouver 32% delayed
– Montreal Trudeau: 29% delayed
– Calgary: 24% delayed
Holding of aircraft at Toronto Pearson International Airport
Ottawa said the number of arriving international flights being held on the tarmac at Toronto-Pearson International Airport has decreased dramatically since May. For the week of August 22-28, 2022, 5 percent, or 109 international flight arrivals, were held on the tarmac, as compared to the peak of 373 during the first week of May.
Passenger security screening wait times
From August 22-28, 2022, 87 percent of passengers at the four largest airports were screened within 15 minutes by CATSA, an improvement from 79 percent during the first week of July 2022.
– Toronto Pearson: 87 percent (98 percent in 2019)
– Vancouver: 82 percent (approaching pre-pandemic levels of 88 percent in 2019)
– Montréal Trudeau: 93 percent (above pre-pandemic levels of 88 percent in 2019)
– Calgary International Airport: 87 percent (same as pre-pandemic levels in 2019)
Hidden Beach at Corona Del Mar, California. JIM BYERS PHOTO
PORTER AIRLINES EXPANSION EDGES CLOSER
Porter Airlines confirms that installation of a special flight simulator at its Toronto site has been completed. This is the first simulator of its kind in North America and will support Porter’s pilot training as part of its previously-announced order for up to 100 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Porter hasn’t revealed a formal list of destinations it will be flying to with its new aircraft, nor has it said when those flights will launch. But their communications repeatedly refer to a 2022 expansion, so it’s likely coming up in the next few months.
Among the destinations shown on Porter’s new route map are Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Calgary, Edmonton, Nassau, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Porter officials also have said they’ll have flights to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Porter says it plans to fly its new jets out of Toronto Pearson, Montreal Trudeau, Ottawa and Halifax.
