Canadian travellers face flight delays and cancellations this weekend as airlines restore their schedules following Friday’s air traffic control outage in the United States.
Air Canada said some flights could be delayed or cancelled during the recovery. WestJet said Friday evening it was preparing to return to normal operations over the following 48 hours. Both airlines urged passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its nationwide halt on departing flights Friday evening. The U.S. Transportation Department said Saturday that airspace was open, though passengers should expect disruption as flights resumed.
Airlines offer change and cancellation options
WestJet’s travel advisory offers flexible change and cancellation options for eligible flights scheduled from Nov. 13 to 15. It covers affected destinations in the continental United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.
For flight-only bookings made directly with WestJet, eligible passengers can make a one-time change or cancellation through its Manage Trips service. Those who booked through a travel agent, booking website or another provider should contact that provider directly.
In its travel update, Air Canada said it would contact affected customers with updated information as it became available. Passengers whose flights were cancelled can check their bookings and use online self-service options where available.
Canadian airports manage disruptions
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said Friday that Canadian air traffic systems were operating normally despite the U.S. disruption, according to a statement.
Toronto Pearson said Saturday morning that U.S.-bound flights had resumed, although some flights were delayed or cancelled while airlines restored their schedules.
The airport increased staffing across its terminals and deployed its Passenger Care Team to assist travellers. More than 900 flights were scheduled at Pearson on Saturday.
Vancouver International Airport also reported Saturday that some flights were affected as schedules returned to normal. It said its terminal was fully staffed to help travellers and encouraged passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport.
Maintenance work examined as possible cause
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Saturday that preliminary findings point to a problem during maintenance at a remote FAA location.
Duffy said a contractor was replacing old copper telecommunications lines with fibre connections. He said a router being replaced during that work began flooding other routers with connection attempts, disrupting communications with aircraft and radar feeds.
Duffy said officials were determining whether contractor error or faulty equipment caused the problem. He said they did not believe it was a cyberattack.
The Transportation Department said more than 8,000 flight operations resumed Friday night after the ground stop was lifted.
