Canada91裸聊视频檚 two biggest airlines saw a far higher proportion of their flights delayed this summer than many of their American peers, according to figures from an aviation data firm.

Overall, only half of Air Canada91裸聊视频檚 31,168 flights were on time between June 19 and July 16, statistics provided by Cirium reveal.

In comparison, 64 per cent of WestJet91裸聊视频檚 14,998 flights touched down late.

Flights are considered on time if they reach the airport within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time.

The numbers contrast with on-time performances that range between 68 per cent and 83 per cent for the five biggest airlines in the United States. Alaska Airlines, which ranked first, operated a similar number of flights to Air Canada in the four-week period at 32,193.

The stats also point to a recent drop in punctuality as flights ramp up, with Air Canada notching a 70 per cent on-time performance in May and 53 per cent in June. WestJet scored 67 per cent last month.

Several reasons underlie the ongoing tarmac tardiness, which falls well below the general industry goal of 80 per cent on-time flights.

To meet soaring summer demand 91裸聊视频� Air Canada now transports 140,000 passengers a day 91裸聊视频� airlines are running their planes too frequently, said John Gradek, a lecturer at McGill University91裸聊视频檚 aviation management program. The practice can result in hitches that hold up travellers across the country.

91裸聊视频淭he existing airplanes are working harder,91裸聊视频� he said. That leaves less time for maintenance between flights and overnight.

91裸聊视频淚f you don91裸聊视频檛 give the mechanics enough time to fix the snags on a regular turn, those snags will catch up to you. And then you now have an unserviceable airplane that cannot be dispatched.91裸聊视频�

Half of Air Canada91裸聊视频檚 18 A330 wide-bodies and most of its 76 Airbus A319, A320 and A321 narrow-bodies 91裸聊视频� more than 40 per cent of its fleet 91裸聊视频� are well over two decades old.

91裸聊视频淭hese airplanes are long in the tooth need a lot of maintenance, need a lot of TLC to fly reliably,91裸聊视频� Gradek said.

Crew shortages can also play a role in peak season. It91裸聊视频檚 harder to find a spare pilot or flight attendant when each aircraft is flying more 91裸聊视频� or when delays pile up, exceeding the 91裸聊视频渄uty times91裸聊视频� that employees are allowed to work within a given period.

Air Canada acknowledged the strain on its network amid the throes of peak travel season.

91裸聊视频淎s with any system, when it is operating at full capacity it may slow processes down and take longer to recover when issues arise. That said, many of the delays were relatively short,91裸聊视频� spokeswoman Angela Mah said in an email.

The figures show that about 93 per cent of Air Canada trips, and 98 per cent of WestJet trips, hit the gate less than two hours late, a far better performance than last summer.

Some weekends in June and July of 2022 saw Air Canada top the global chart for delays, repeatedly hitting two-thirds and far outpacing other carriers as complaints of hours-long hold-ups or cancellations littered social media. Toronto91裸聊视频檚 Pearson airport also ranked as the delay capital of the world on multiple occasions.

This summer, thunderstorms have caused their share of problems, Air Canada noted. Of the 40 days between June 1 and July 10, 31 saw 91裸聊视频渨eather-related disruption91裸聊视频� versus 20 days in the same period in 2019, the Montreal-based company said.

91裸聊视频淥ur Montreal global hub experienced numerous thunderstorms in recent weeks, including multiple red alerts 91裸聊视频� necessitating halts to operations due to lightning 91裸聊视频� which have led to delays. Similar situations have occurred frequently in the eastern part of North America, where we have a significant volume of flights,91裸聊视频� Mah said.

She also pointed to the dearth of air traffic controllers 91裸聊视频� in Canada and the U.S. 91裸聊视频� that means planes are often left waiting to land.

That time circling above the runway can also tack on hours to flight crews91裸聊视频� shifts each week, pushing them closer to their 28-day cap and leaving less leeway for them to plug labour gaps by month91裸聊视频檚 end.

91裸聊视频淔ollowing these events, Air Canada91裸聊视频檚 focus is to get aircraft and crew back on track and get our customers on their way as soon as possible,91裸聊视频� Mah said.

Nonetheless, airlines have fewer outside factors to blame than during the post-pandemic travel tumult of 2022.

While an aviation labour shortage last summer meant fewer security screeners, border officers and baggage and ground handlers, those areas are now largely back to pre-pandemic levels, according to the companies and agencies behind them.

At Toronto91裸聊视频檚 Pearson airport, 91 per cent of passengers cleared security within nine minutes in the first week of July 91裸聊视频� a far cry from the snaking lines and bulging terminals of the year before 91裸聊视频� Canada91裸聊视频檚 transport security agency says.

The average wait time for passengers at customs was seven minutes, according to Pearson. And baggage wait times are down by more than a fifth 91裸聊视频� though luggage is typically the airline91裸聊视频檚 responsibility, often contracted out to third parties.

Meanwhile, just one flight with passengers on board was held 91裸聊视频� for nine minutes 91裸聊视频� between July 3 and 10. 91裸聊视频淭his situation represents a marked improvement over last summer when holding passengers at the gate was a regular practice due to overcrowding in the customs hall,91裸聊视频� Pearson said in a release last week.

As of May, Air Canada made up 47 per cent of the domestic air travel market and WestJet served 28 per cent, amounting to three-quarters of the total, according to Cirium.

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