Flying within Canada affords less choice than before pandemic, after 'massive cuts'
CBC
Air travel services cuts hit close to home for Charlene Hudy earlier this year, when the Saskatoon pilot discovered she would no longer be able to fly her own airline directly to Calgary, the nearest hub airport.
Air Canada cut the route in January along with service between Calgary and Regina. Since then, the country's largest carrier has also slashed other direct flights out of Calgary to Ottawa and Halifax, among other cities.
She isn't alone as flying within Canada is much different from how it was before the pandemic began following dozens of route changes and an overall decline in options.
The latest statistics show a noticeable decline in available tickets for flights within the country. Air Canada is selling about 25 per cent fewer seats this month compared to November 2019, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, while WestJet is offering nearly 28 per cent fewer seats.
On the weekend, Air Canada pilots held a demonstration to oppose the recent cuts in Calgary.
"We find it very concerning the route reductions, the massive cuts that have happened," said Hudy, a first officer with Air Canada.
"As Canadians, we really want to have that reliable, sustainable and competitive aviation network," she said.
Hudy is also chair of the Air Canada Master Elected Council, which represents pilots during ongoing negotiations on a new contract with the airline.
Flair and Porter have increased the amount of domestic flights, but the overall number of seats this month on all airlines is nearly 20 per cent lower compared to November 2019.
Arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport for a morning flight, Tim Cestnick is not surprised to see his flight is delayed. As someone who travels several times every month for business and pleasure, he's growing accustomed to the turbulent experience of flying in Canada.
"I never know when a flight is going to be delayed or not," said Cestnick. "Every single flight I've been on in the last six months has either been delayed or cancelled."
The frequent flyer, who works in wealth management and as a financial planner in Toronto, has had to adjust his travel plans accordingly. If he has a noon meeting in Calgary or Vancouver, he used to catch an early morning flight. However, because of consistent delays and fewer numbers of flights, he now travels the night before.
"I actually have to pay more money to travel because I'm covering hotel bills for an extra night," he said. "That happens all the time now."
Not only is there a reduction in domestic air travel in the country, but an increasing level of regionalization as Air Canada has focused on Eastern Canada, while WestJet has prioritized Canada's West.
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.
The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what's believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.
The Liberal government and the NDP have agreed to introduce a two-month GST vacation on certain items before the holiday season, Radio-Canada has learned.
Veterinarians are warning Londoners to make sure their dogs are vaccinated and keeping clean after a deadly virus outbreak was declared in London this week.