Fixing delays at Canada’s airports
As travel begins to restart, Canadians have been experiencing long lines and delays at airports across the country.
Similar delays have been reported around the world, including the U.S., Europe and Australia, as the air sector recovers but is experiencing challenging labor shortages in different parts of the system.
These delays are caused by a combination of several factors:
Labour shortages are a factor. Screening contractors are facing challenges recalling and retaining staff as well as hiring new screeners. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has been working to increase the number of screening officers at passenger screening checkpoints. There are currently approximately 400 new screening officers in different phases of their training across the country. With our government’s support, these recruits will now benefit from progressing more quickly through a more flexible onboarding process.
Airlines are providing less consistent notice of flight schedules to CATSA. As a result, more passengers are showing up at one time than expected by CATSA, leaving the airports without necessary staffing.
There are changes in the screening process, a higher proportion of travellers packing carry-on bags with banned items, and a larger volume of carry-on bags as some airlines have hiked their fees for checked luggage. Passengers are not the sole factor and should not be blamed. However, short term solutions are being put in place to better communicate and remind passengers of the rules about what they can and cannot being with them in their carry-on luggage.
We are seeing “super peaks” times for flights, with multiple flight departures scheduled within a short time period, more so than prior to COVID where flights were more staggered.
There are also US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing constraints and there have been instances of CBP being at capacity and instructing CATSA to stop flowing passengers to allow them time to catch up.
Here’s how we’re relieving delays at Canada’s airports:
Last week, Minister Alghabra met with Mike Saunders, CEO of CATSA to discuss the issue directly and offer his help and support to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. He also met with the CEOs of the largest 4 airports in the country and heard directly from them on what they are seeing on the ground.
Airports, airlines, and CATSA are improving communications with travellers so they can better anticipate pre-boarding screening and arrival processing requirements, to help facilitate a smoother passage in and out of airports.
CATSA has accelerated the use of pre-certified screening officers to carry out non-screening functions, to optimize resources, and to allow certified screening officers to focus their efforts on key security functions.
Our government is also working with airport and air carriers to identify efficiencies that can be gained throughout the travel journey and reduce wait times upon arrival.
