The 2024 travel year started with a literal bang, when the door of a Boeing 737 Max blew off in mid-flight. Things got arguably worse from then on, with two Canadian airlines going under, a surprise WestJet mechanics strike, massive computer glitches that grounded aircraft, and, now, talk of a potential Air Canada pilots strike. Here’s a brief look at the year of travelling dangerously.
JANUARY: On Jan. 5, on a flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, an unused exit door on A Boeing 737 Max 9 jet unexpectedly blew off at about 16,000 feet. The jet was forced to return to Portland International Airport after about six minutes in the air. Nearly 200 Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes were grounded around the world. After weeks of criticism and bad Boeing news, company president Dave Calhoun in March said he would step down at the end of the year. To top it off, Boeing workers at their west coast factory went on strike this week.
FEBRUARY: Calgary-based Lynx Air announced that it’s closing its doors. The airline cited rising operating costs, high fuel prices, exchange rates, increasing airport charges and a difficult economic and regulatory environment.
JUNE: On June 28, WestJet mechanics surprised the Canadian travel industry by going out on strike. It looked like the Liberal government had intervened to keep a strike from taking place, but it turned out the government didn’t actually forbid a job action. The strike lasted only a few days, but it stranded more than 100,000 travellers and proved a huge headache for WestJet.
JULY: Airlines worldwide grappled with a massive IT shutdown that grounds thousands of flights, including some by Canada’s Porter Airlines. Porter recovered relatively quickly, but Delta cancelled some 7,000 flights over five days.
AUGUST: A massive hail storm at Calgary International Airport damaged some 16 WestJet planes, forcing the company to cancel roughly 50 flights a day until the planes could get repaired.
AUGUST: Six months after Lynx Air went belly up, Canada Jetlines announced that it had filed a notice of intention to make a proposal under Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA). Another one bites the dust, you might say.
SEPTEMBER: A Via Rail train from Montreal to Quebec City broke down, leaving passengers stranded for about 10 hours over a long weekend with a lack of food, water and access to a toilet for prolonged intervals.
SEPTEMBER: Air Canada issued a statement on Sept. 9 saying that an AC pilot’s strike is “increasingly likely” and that it will have to begin an “orderly shutdown” of operations to prepare for a potential strike or lockout. The shutdown could begin this coming Sunday, Sept. 15, but some cargo flights have already been cancelled, and possibly some long-haul flights. Pilots will be in a legal strike position just after midnight Eastern Time on Sept. 18. If you thought the WestJet mechanics strike was bad, this would be far worse given the size of Air Canada. It would also do tremendous harm to tourism in parts of Canada that rely on Air Canada service the most, including Newfoundland and Labrador.
