This weekend flipped the calendar pages over to May, which means the vacation season is right around the corner.
Now, that COVID-19 restrictions are eased in most of the world, many people may want to return to their summer travel habits.
It definitely won't be completely back to normal. The risk of catching the contagious Omicron that is tricky enough to go around immunity and ruin our long-awaited holidays is still pretty high. But the fact that we can actually get to do something outside Saskatchewan and even outside Canada this summer is really exciting.
The testing is not that much of an obstacle, so it almost seems that we can hop on the plane at any time and make it almost anywhere if we want to. Unfortunately, the chaos that had consumed the world over the past two years, took a serious toll on the tourism industry and aviation in particular.
With hardly any travelling on the agenda over the past two years due to the virus, restrictions and the general economic crisis that limited people's opportunities, many employees were laid off. And even though we are now trying to "live with COVID" rather than "curb the pandemic" or "stick it to COVID," no one would confidentially say that the latest motto is a keeper and no more changes will come our way. The little bugger may still have an ace up its sleeve to mess things up again. Yet, already now the travellers' flows significantly increase, which outlines the aftermath of the months of the pandemic more and more.
On Monday, Toronto's Pearson Airport had to deal with enormous lines. Passengers were warned about serious delays getting through security.
Especially with the past two years in their luggage, some people know better to expect the unexpected these days and arrive at the airport well in advance. But for a lot of us, that temptation to jump into the old-life normal habits and get to the airport with just enough time to get through is strong. So I bet lots of people did not make their planes earlier this week.
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority explained that the Monday jam was caused by issues with staffing, adding that they are going through recruitment and retention challenges well known in the broader commercial aviation industry as well as in other spheres. They pointed out that these days passengers tend to take more carry-on luggage, which also affects the security check times.
The agency said they are ramping up staffing and co-ordinating their efforts with airline companies and partners to improve the service.
It's not known yet, how many people CATSA plans on bringing back, but Air Canada said at the end of March they intend to increase their full-year capacity by 150 per cent compared to 2021, and up to 75 per cent of 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Will similar increases across the industry be enough to meet the demand? Time will show.
While it might feel risky to make big moves and significant investments during times with multiple chaotic variables, including the pandemic, ongoing war, growing fuel prices, etc., the changes need to occur sooner rather than later. If Pearson won't find a way to handle the passenger flow throughout May, the summer months may turn into a real disaster.
Hopefully, it will take CATSA and Transport Canada not more than a few weeks to balance things out. However, what's happening at Pearson isn't unique. Other airports in Canada as well as all over the world struggle with similar challenges and experience increased wait times. Most companies had to cut down their wages expenses after the beginning of the pandemic and now, with more travellers at the doors, are short on staff.
On top of that, nobody cancelled COVID outbreaks, which may instantly take dozens of employees out of operation, which means that even with increased numbers of staff, the delays and longer wait times may become a common point this summer.
The good thing is that while it probably won't be the most comfortable, we still can travel across the border, overseas and pretty much anywhere we want. We just need to be ready and arm ourselves with patience. And the reward will be well worth it, especially if you stayed closer to home for the last couple of years.
P.S. If you are to travel any time soon, Pearson Airport is currently asking to arrive at least 90 minutes in advance for domestic flights, and at least three hours before scheduled international flights. Safe travels!
