Air transport: Omicron can cause severe headaches for travelers

As the Omicron variant continues to play a dirty trick on travelers, those who need to fly in the next few days or return to Quebec will need to be patient.

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At Montreal-Trudeau airport, passengers should plan to wait longer than usual on arrival, sometimes a few hours before arriving at checkpoints.

In an email to Judith Godboys-Saint-Sierre, porter of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), “Passengers may be delayed at entry points due to restrictions on international flight combinations and public health measures during peak hours”) Journal.

Sick customs officers

But the Omicron variant also has an impact on staff working in Montreal-Trudeau, although there are many active cases among customs officers.

“As of December 27, the agency had identified 20 cases of front-line employees at Montreal-Trudeau airport. In addition, many employees have isolated themselves as a precautionary measure, ”the company said.

However, the CBSA ensures that it has enough staff to process passengers.

Here, Newspaper Before Christmas, some travelers reported that they sometimes had to wait between two and three hours to reach customs, without physical distances.

Interrupted exits

Passengers making the inevitable takeoff and stopover are also in doubt, as many flights elsewhere in the world have been canceled due to a variant that has contaminated pilots and crew.

In Montreal, however, the situation is not so complicated with the cancellation of a dozen flights today and tomorrow.

Air Canada has canceled four flights to Dorval and two to Jean-Lesz Airport. The carrier, headquartered in Montreal, did not answer our questions.

Discount carrier Flyer Airlines also skipped four flights from its list, but said it had no connection to COVID.

“Of course, we have a small increase in sick employees, but we do not need to cancel,” said Zamina Kotak, referring to the capricious climate in western Canada.

The deckchair was not affected

On the air transat side, the situation is normal and there is no need to make any changes in the company routes.

“No flights have been canceled in the last few days due to staffing issues related to the Omicron variant increase. [on] At present, no cancellation is expected for this purpose, “said Pierre Tessier, a spokesman for the transporter.

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