Nearly one-in-four flights were cancelled at Vancouver International Airport yesterday as the lower B.C. mainland was belted by a winter storm and heavy snow. In a note posted on their Twitter feed just before midnight local time on Saturday airport officials said that winter weather continues at YVR with more heavy, wet snow expected to arrive. “Our snow response team remains fully mobilized & de-icing facility is operational. Our Guest Experience team is providing support in-terminal to passengers impacted by delays. ” The website flightaware.com said 74 outgoing flights cancelled at Vancouver International yesterday (Feb. 25). That’s roughly 24% of Read more
storms
An “historic” winter storm is moving across North America today, and weather experts warn that travel will be dangerous in many areas. Minnesota and Wisconsin were hit hard today (Feb. 22) as the storm moved east. As of 3 p.m. EST today, Minneapolis St. Paul Airport had seen 200 outgoing flights (46%) and 218 incoming flights (51%) cancelled. Milwaukee’s International Airport had seen cancellations for 35% of incoming flights and 62% of outgoing flights as of that time, while Detroit Metro Wayne International had more than 25% of incoming and outgoing flights cancelled, according to flightaware.com. The storm is expected Read more
Air Canada has launched a limited digital identification trial, becoming the first airline in Canada to offer customers facial recognition technology to confirm identification. In a pilot project currently underway, Air Canada’s digital identification is now available for customers departing from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) when boarding select flights to Winnipeg, and for eligible customers entering the Air Canada Café at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Air Canada plans to expand digital identification options to select Canadian airports and Maple Leaf Lounges as part of its pilot project phase. “Many of our customers already utilize digital credentials to simplify their daily 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
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
