Air Canada Cancelled A Ton Of Summer Flights Amid An Ongoing Global Travel Sh*tshow

Air Canada is temporarily cutting back on flights this summer after an uptick in extreme wait times, cancellations, and customer service shortfalls.

Three routes will be temporarily suspended between Montreal and Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Kelowna, along with one from Toronto to Fort McMurray. Most of the flights affected run to and from the company's Montreal and Toronto hubs.

"We are reducing our schedule, on average, by 77 round trips (or 154 flights) per day in total for July and August," an Air Canada spokesperson told MTL Blog.

The company previously operated around 1,000 flights per day on average.

While international flights remain unaffected, aside from "reducing flying at peak times and evening out the customer flow," domestic flights will see frequency reductions, especially for evening and late-night flights by smaller aircrafts.

"Things are not business as usual in our industry globally, and this is affecting our operations and our ability to serve you with our normal standards of care," Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau wrote in an email to customers.

He said the aviation system came to a halt in early 2020 due to the pandemic and the resurgence of travel has created "unprecedented and unforeseen strains."

Rousseau said Air Canada's cuts will bring operational stability by reducing passenger volumes so the company can return to "pre‑pandemic standards."

In the meantime, the airline has confirmed it will continue to offer flexible ticket policies and its new travel self-management tools, such as the Air Canada mobile app, all of which were introduced during the pandemic.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.