Air travellers in Saint John will not be immune to recent cuts announced by Air Canada.
The carrier is dropping an average of 77 round trips, or 154 flights, per day in July and August.
Saint John Airport CEO Sandy Ross said the airport will lose two of its four daily round trips through Air Canada.
“One is to Toronto and one is to Montreal,” Ross said in a phone interview on Monday.
That means Air Canada will only have two departures — one to Toronto and one to Montreal — and two arrivals each day.
Ross said he is optimistic that the grounded routes will return to YSJ once we get through the next two months.
“In our discussions with Air Canada, they’ve indicated it’s their intention to start adding flights back to their network in the beginning of September,” he said.
In the meantime, travellers also have other options to choose from at the airport.
Both Flair Airlines and Swoop continue to maintain their flight schedules at YSJ, said Ross.
“They’re very much a demand-oriented business, so if suddenly there was more demand for their services, then hopefully they would be able to put on more flights,” he said.
Ross encourages packing lots of patience and flexibility if you plan on travelling in the coming months, no matter which airline or airport you plan to use.
He suggests taking carry-on bags instead of checked luggage, where possible, to avoid any of the luggage issues being seen across the country.
Ross said while Air Canada has seen the most severe issues related to flight cancellations, all carriers have been dealing with delays.
“This is really an industry-wide phenomenon. It’s not focused on Saint John, it’s not focused on New Brunswick, and it’s not restricted just to Canada or to Pearson. This is literally right across the board in North America.”
