Toronto Pearson says things were running smoothly early this afternoon, but that worse weather is on the way. Pearson officials said they’re “providing an operational update on the measures being taken to support air travel in anticipation of more severe weather later today.” The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) appreciates that this is an important time of year, and many people are planning to travel. All efforts are being made by airport staff to support travellers and our airline partners. Airlines continue to adjust their schedules and travellers are encouraged to contact their airline before coming to the airport. The Read more
Canada
As I watch the rain turn to snow ere in windy and increasingly cold Toronto, I notice a couple of interesting moves by North American tourism boards. North of the border, Quebec City is pleading with the creators of the “White Lotus” TV show to film in one of North America’s oldest (and most romantic) cities. The Toronto Star and Canadian Press report that Destination Quebec City and its advertising agency have created a presentation promoting te city and its biggest assets as an ideal filming spot. Part of their pitch, of course, is the fairy tale-like Fairmont Le Chateau Read more
Frightful weather notwithstanding, Santa Claus has been cleared to glide through Canadian air space on Christmas Day. Federal Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra today said he’s pleased to announce that he has cleared Santa and his reindeer flight crew for take-off in Canadian airspace. In a secure message to Alghabra earlier this week, Santa confirmed that he completed his final test flight of the year and checked that he and the reindeer showed no signs of COVID-19 symptoms before take-off. Earlier this month, Transport Canada Safety Inspectors cleared Santa’s sleigh for travel. The Inspectors conducted their stringent safety, communications, and Read more
An historic “weather bomb” is making a mockery of airline schedules and ruining holiday plans for travelers across North America. With snow starting to build in some cities and fierce winds bringing record-low temperatures to many parts of the U.S., FlightAware reports 4,700 U.S. flight cancellations as of 1 p.m. Eastern Time. The website showed 35% of all outbound flights have been cancelled at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, while Detroit had a 43% cancellation rate and Seattle 46%. Chicago O’Hare was showing 23% of flights cancelled. Cleveland and Buffalo were much worse. Cleveland was showing a 70% cancellation rate, while Read more
The holiday travel season is proving to be a disaster for many. WestJet is cancelling hundreds of flights in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec due to major winter storms that are wreaking havoc with holiday travel. Air Canada today said it pre-cancelled an undetermined number of flights in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal due to the impending storm, while Porter Airlines said “many” Ontario-based flights will likely be cancelled starting this afternoon. Sunwing says it has had to cancel many southbound flights from Western Canada through until Christmas. Airlines say they’re doing their best to cope with what some weather experts Read more
