Nearly 2,000 Air Canada flights delayed, cancelled over long weekend

Air Canada delayed or cancelled nearly 2,000 flights over the Canada Day long weekend in what one expert said could be a taste of more troubles ahead for passengers.

Air Canada delayed or cancelled nearly 2,000 flights over the Canada Day long weekend in a potential taste of more trouble ahead for passengers.

Roughly half of all trips by the country's biggest airline -- including its lower-cost Air Canada Rouge and regional partner Jazz Aviation -- were disrupted Saturday through Monday, according to figures from tracking service FlightAware.

The 1,965 flight delays and cancellations -- over 52 per cent of scheduled flights -- stand in contrast to numbers from other Canadian carriers including WestJet, Air Transat and Flair Airlines, which registered lower flight disruption levels.

They also mark an uptick from the previous weekend, despite an unexpected shortage of air traffic controllers at Nav Canada that snarled travel during that period.

Posts and photos of snaking lines and bulging terminals at the main Toronto and Montreal airports popped up on social media over the past few days, as passengers vented their frustrations about late takeoffs and customer service in a throwback to scenes of post-pandemic airport chaos a year ago.

The air travel sector is now in the throes of its summer peak, with 600,000 customers boarding Air Canada planes between this past Friday and Monday, the company said.

Nonetheless, disruption figures have been trending upward over the past few weeks, said John Gradek, who teaches at McGill University's aviation management program. Crowded flight schedules and crew shortages play a role in peak season, he said, since it's harder to find a spare plane or pilot to fill a gap when each aircraft is flying more.