Calgary –
Canadian air travellers are experiencing an uptick in flight cancellations this holiday season, but airlines say weather is a bigger factor than COVID-19.
Canada’s largest airlines canceled hundreds of flights between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26.
Airline data company Cirium says Flair Airlines canceled nine per cent of its scheduled flights while WestJet Airlines Ltd. canceled seven per cent of its flights.
Air Canada canceled four per cent of its scheduled flights during the period.
U.S. airlines have also canceled a large number of flights this holiday season. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said they canceled flights because of staff shortages tied to the Omicron variant.
But Canadian airlines say most of their cancellations have been weather related. Snow and frigid weather in Western Canada have caused travel disruptions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2021.
— With files from The Associated Press
