The most wonderful time of the year has turned into the nightmare before New Year’s for many American and Canadian travelers. Last week it was Canada’s turn to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous travel. A massive snowstorm shut down airports in Vancouver and southern British Columbia a few days prior to Christmas, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights, including many from Canada’s WestJet Airlines. A so-called “bomb cyclone” or “weather bomb” then swept across the United States and Eastern Canada, causing massive cancellations at airports in Seattle, Detroit, Buffalo and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Toronto Pearson, Canada’s Read more
Pearson Airport
The Christmas holiday season is proving to be the opposite of merry and bright for many Canadians. Major cancellations continued at airports and on train lines in eastern Canada on Christmas Day, when most Canadians hope to spend time with family and friends. All VIA Rail trains between Toronto and Montreal and Toronto and Ottawa are cancelled today, VIA Rail stated. It was much better than Saturday, but Christmas Day Sunday still saw more than 130 outgoing and incoming flights at Toronto Pearson, which means travel plans were disrupted or entirely cancelled for thousands and thousands of people. FlightAware reported Read more
The worst appears to be over for southern Ontario, but frigid temperatures and strong winds are still limiting travel for many. Roads are treacherous, and VIA Rail also is having trouble with trains in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor. CP24 reports passengers on a train heading from Ottawa to Toronto have been stuck on board a stalled train car for 17 hours. Airports appear to be recovering in Ontario and Quebec as the snow dissipates. “The last several days have been very challenging for the airlines and they’ve been proactively cancelling and delaying flights,” said Tori Gass, a spokesperson for Toronto Read more
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
Just as the holiday travel season begins to heat up, Mother Nature is throwing a nasty, frozen curveball at much of the U.S. and Eastern Canada. Vancouver International Airport is beginning to recover from a freak (well, maybe not anymore) snowstorm, but it’s still frigid in Alberta. And now a big storm with rain, flash freezes, high winds and sizable snow accumulations is headed to Ontario and Quebec. The forecast calls for rain in Toronto and Southern Ontario today, but the temperature is set to plummet on Friday and the rain should turn to snow. Road conditions are expected to Read more
