Business travellers faced another rough morning on 15 January as Toronto Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Vancouver and Timmins airports reported 20 cancellations and 156 delays, stranding hundreds of passengers nationwide. Jazz Aviation accounted for eight of the cancellations, while Air Canada logged the most delays (40). (travelandtourworld.com)
Operations teams blamed a mix of overnight freezing drizzle that slowed de-icing, residual crew-positioning problems from last week’s storm system and cascading knock-on delays from U.S. hubs. Cross-border flights were hit hardest, with several Toronto–New York sectors posting three-hour holds.
For mobility managers the immediate advice is tactical: build at least three-hour buffers for connections through Pearson and Montréal and remind employees of Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which entitle travellers to up to C$1,000 for lengthy delays within an airline’s control.
![Weather and Crew Issues Trigger 176 Flight Disruptions at Major Canadian Hubs]()
Amid the scheduling uncertainty, it’s also worth confirming that travellers’ entry documents are in order. If a colleague suddenly needs an eTA or a work visa renewal, VisaHQ can fast-track the process online and arrange courier pick-up, sparing teams the extra airport run—see https://www.visahq.com/canada/ for details.
Longer term, the incident underscores ongoing staffing vulnerabilities as carriers work to restore pre-pandemic capacity. Both Air Canada and WestJet have accelerated winter hiring of ground handlers, but unions say attrition remains high due to shift volatility and housing costs near major airports.
Companies planning February project kick-offs should monitor flight-status APIs or contract travel-management partners with auto-rebooking tools, as meteorologists forecast another Arctic front for late January.
Operations teams blamed a mix of overnight freezing drizzle that slowed de-icing, residual crew-positioning problems from last week’s storm system and cascading knock-on delays from U.S. hubs. Cross-border flights were hit hardest, with several Toronto–New York sectors posting three-hour holds.
For mobility managers the immediate advice is tactical: build at least three-hour buffers for connections through Pearson and Montréal and remind employees of Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, which entitle travellers to up to C$1,000 for lengthy delays within an airline’s control.
Amid the scheduling uncertainty, it’s also worth confirming that travellers’ entry documents are in order. If a colleague suddenly needs an eTA or a work visa renewal, VisaHQ can fast-track the process online and arrange courier pick-up, sparing teams the extra airport run—see https://www.visahq.com/canada/ for details.
Longer term, the incident underscores ongoing staffing vulnerabilities as carriers work to restore pre-pandemic capacity. Both Air Canada and WestJet have accelerated winter hiring of ground handlers, but unions say attrition remains high due to shift volatility and housing costs near major airports.
Companies planning February project kick-offs should monitor flight-status APIs or contract travel-management partners with auto-rebooking tools, as meteorologists forecast another Arctic front for late January.
