Airports gear up for passenger surge as spring break tests their capacity

Airports and airways are getting ready for a surge in passengers forward of spring break after the business has struggled to satisfy explosions of demand at peak occasions over the previous yr.

As March break kicks off in Ontario this weekend, travellers hope to keep away from a repeat of the snaking strains, misplaced baggage and a whole bunch of hundreds of flight cancellations that beset them final summer season and through the winter holidays.

March is busy for the airline business as provincial spring breaks fall all through the month.

Severe staffing shortages and excessive attrition charges had been among the many elements conspiring to snarl air journey because the business started recovering from COVID-19 restrictions.

Last week, Toronto’s Pearson airport introduced it might cap the variety of flights throughout peak hours as a way to “flatten out” day by day crests and easy the move of passengers.

Statistics from journey information firm OAG present that the share of on-time departures in Vancouver and Toronto fell effectively under that of airports in Seattle, Chicago and New York City final month, which former Air Canada chief working officer Duncan Dee says “does not bode well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed March 10, 2023.