While Canada’s total domestic passenger numbers now hover at around pre-COVID levels, air travel to smaller communities and even medium-sized cities has withered.
RELATED: Higher costs and stiff competition all weighed on Air Canada ’s second quarter. But, as Anne Gaviola explains, tough times for the airline industry means more selection and steeper discounting for consumers looking to book certain types of fall or winter air travel.From his office overlooking the runway at Gander International Airport, Reg Wright can see all flights in and out of his corner of Newfoundland.
Meanwhile, fares on flights linking those city pairs rose 54 per cent, 16 per cent and 173 per cent, respectively, according to Cirium.“If you’re in the Yukon and you need to travel to Vancouver for your medical appointments, these are the essential roles … whether it’s fighting fires, moving health-care workers, even getting food on our grocery store shelves,” said airports council president Monette Pasher.A lack of timely air access also puts communities at an economic disadvantage.
A shortage of pilots, particularly on regional carriers, and a rise in salaries also help explain the dearth of service following a drop in enrollment at flight schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.“You don’t get out of a vending machine. It takes time,” Wright said. In Cape Breton, residents now have to go through Montreal or Toronto if they want to fly to Halifax after both airlines cut back from a combined 240 flights per month to zero.
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