Strong winds and blowing snow prompt weather alerts for much of Canada, leading to flights being cancelled. Airlines and authorities have issued warnings regarding flight disruptions.
Travel warning issued
Environment Canada issued a travel warning due to a snowstorm and icy conditions affecting Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Blizzard conditions have affected Northern Ontario and Quebec, with heavy snow and strong winds in areas such as Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins in Ontario and Val d’Or in Quebec.
An orange weather warning has been issued for most of southwestern Quebec and eastern Ontario, and some parts of Nova Scotia. Montreal could see up to 15 millimetres of ice accretion from freezing rain and south-westerly winds of up to 70 km/h and 90km/h are also expected.
Both Montreal Trudeau International Airport and Pearson International Airport have already cancelled flights on Monday. Pearson Airport had 33 cancelled arrivals, and Toronto Airport cancelled 19 departing flights.
Early this month, North America was hit by a snowstorm, which also disrupted travel.
Air Canada issues flight waivers
Air Canada has Montreal Airport under a freezing rain warning, and the airline is advising its passengers to look at their rebooking policy.
Air Canada has said:
“Air Canada has revised its ticketing policy to make it easier for customers travelling on an affected flight to make changes to their booking without penalty, space permitting. If your flight is affected, you can retrieve your booking to change your flight free of charge. If you purchased your ticket with Air Canada Vacations, please contact them directly.”
Delays and warnings for Canadian airlines
Canadian airlines also struggled with flights on Sunday. Porter Airlines cancelled 42 flights and had 190 delays. Air Canada had 264 delays and 33 cancellations on Sunday.
On Monday, Air Canada had 17 cancellations and 52 delays. Delta Air Lines currently has the most worldwide cancellations for a third day in a row, with 80.
Over a week ago, Air Canada flights were disrupted by blizzard conditions at Winnipeg International Airport, which saw many passengers stranded.
Were you impacted by these disruptions? Please do share your experience in the comments.
Really useful information, thank you for sharing.